Dry Fibre Placement: The Influence of Process Parameters on Mechanical Laminate Properties and Infusion Behaviour

Within the dry fibre placement (DFP) process, spread and pre-bindered carbon fibre rovings are automatically processed into dry textile preforms using 2-D and 3-D laying systems. The aim was to automate existing hand lay-up processes, reducing the complexity, increasing robustness, and facilitating the handling of the DFP technology. Process reliability, low waste rates, and flexible production are demonstrated. In this publication, the influences of the process parameters, 2 mm wide gaps and the percentage of 90° plies in the laminate, are investigated with regard to the mechanical properties, the permeability, and the infusion times in the preform z-direction (thickness). The effects on stiffness and strength are compared for several use cases. An approach to determine the infusion times as a function of the laminate thickness, the ply structure, and 2 mm wide gaps is demonstrated and analysed using vacuum-assisted process (VAP) infusion tests. The investigations are performed with carbon fibre tows (24 k), a reactive epoxy-based binder system, and a thermoset infusion resin system.

Analysis of Anomalous Dynamic Responses of Fiber Metal Laminates Under Pulse Loading

Composed of metallic layers and composite plies, fiber metal laminates (FMLs) combine inherent advantages of metals and composites. The phenomenon of anomalous response behavior, in which the permanent deformation is in the opposite direction to the incoming pressure wave, has been discovered in dynamic responses of monolithic plate subjected to impulsive loading. In this study, dynamic responses of FML plates of various configurations are examined and compared against the responses of a monolithic plate using finite element analysis. It is found that under the load condition in which an anomalous dynamic behavior of an aluminum plate is observed, FMLs oscillate a few cycles before resting on permanent deformation, and the laminate thickness strongly affects the final deflection, which could be in the counter-intuitive direction or near the initial position of zero deflection depending on configuration and specification of FMLs. In addition, interaction of damage accumulation with deflection responses is investigated. The findings of this study can be useful for optimal design of FMLs intended for usage under extreme loadings.

Residual stresses developed in thermoplastic composites during laser-assisted tape laying

The main focus of the study is the determination of residual stresses developed in thermoplastic composites during tape placement. An experimental characterization of the residual stresses is carried out and based on the measurement of the curvature variation with temperature for unsymmetrical laminates. The tested plates are made of APC-2 and processed on the SPIDE-TP, a filament winding machine based in Cetim, France. A thermo-mechanical model based on the modified laminate theory is used in this work. Heat transfer and crystallization are taken into account in the model, allowing the description of the evolution of the mechanical properties of the composite during the whole process. The model is able to predict the residual stresses present at the end of the process. The results showed stress gradients through the thickness of the laminates where the transverse residual stresses can reach up to 20 MPa. In addition, the results showed that increasing the mandrel temperature reduces the crystallization and thermal gradients in the laminate thickness.

Analysis of Impact Behaviour of Sisal-Epoxy Composites under Low Velocity Regime

The present study concentrates on development of conceptual proof for sisal reinforced polymer matrix composite for structural applications subjected to low velocity impact using a finite element (FE) approach. The proposed sisal-epoxy composite of various thicknesses of 3.2 mm, 4 mm and 4.8 mm is subjected to different impact velocities of 1 m/s, 2 m/s and 3 m/s ranging in the low velocity impact regime to study the energy absorbed and damage mitigation behaviour of the proposed composite. The consequence of velocity of impact and thickness of laminate on the sisal epoxy composite’s impact behaviour is assessed statistically using Taguchi’s experimental design. Outcome of the present study discloses that the energy absorption increases with increased impact velocity and laminate thickness. However, the statistical study shows that impact velocity is predominant factor affecting the impact response of sisal epoxy composite laminate compared to laminate thickness. The role of matrix and fiber in damage initiation is studied using Hashin criteria and it is found that matrix failure is predominant over the fiber failure.

Mechanical Properties of Thin-Ply Composites Based on Acoustic Emission Technology

Compared with standard-ply composites, thin-ply composites exhibit a superior mechanical performance under various operating conditions due to their positive size effects. Thin-ply laminate failure modes, including matrix initial damage (MID), matrix failure (MF), and fiber failure (FF), have been distinguished through a systematic acoustic emission (AE) signals analysis combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). First, the characteristic frequencies of various failure modes are identified based on unidirectional laminates ([90] 68 and [0] 68). Then, according to the identified frequencies corresponding to distinctive damage modes, four lay-up sequences (02[[90m/0m]ns]02, m = 1, 2, 4, 8, n × m = 16) with a constant total thickness are designed, and the effects of the number of identical plies in the laminate thickness on the damage evolution characteristics and the damage process under uniaxial tension loads are dynamically monitored. The obtained results indicate that the characteristic frequency ranges for MID, MF, and FF are identified as 0–85 kHz, 165–260 kHz, and 261–304 kHz, respectively. The thickness of identical plies has a significant effect on onset damage. With the decrease of the number of identical plies (i.e., m in the stacking sequences), the thin-ply laminates exhibit the initiation of damage suppression effects and crack propagation resistance.

Experimental and analytical model for the penetration and indentation prediction on BFRP laminates under low velocity impacts

Low velocity impact tests at different impact energies were performed on basalt fibre reinforced plastic laminates, varying laminate thickness, stacking sequence, support dimensions and indenter diameter. A previous modified analytical model for the prediction of the indentation as a function of the impact energy, valid for carbon and glass fibre reinforced plastic laminates, was applied: a different behaviour was observed denoting an other damage mechanisms of the basalt fibre laminates. About the prediction of the penetration energy, the previous model largely applied in the literature showing the importance of the total fibre content was adopted, and a good agreement between the theoretical predictions and the experimental results was found. In analysing previous experimental data, in comparison to those of carbon fibre reinforced plastics, higher impact energy was found to be necessary to penetrate the basalt laminates whereas the indentation depth at the same impact energy was lower. A larger number of tests were carried out to validate a preliminary work done by the authors.

Effects of Processing Parameters for Vacuum-Bagging-Only Method on Shape Conformation of Laminated Composites

Complex composite structures manufactured using a low-pressure vacuum bag-only (VBO) method are more susceptible to defects than flat laminates because of the presence of complex compaction conditions at corners. This study investigates the contribution of multivariate processing parameters such as bagging techniques, curing profiles, and laminate structures on laminates’ shape conformation. Nine sets of laminates were produced with a concave corner and another nine sets with a convex corner, both with a 45° inclined structure. Three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to quantify thickness variation and spring effect of laminated composites. The analysis for concave and convex corners showed that the bagging techniques is the main factor in controlling the laminate thickness for complex shape applications. The modified (single) vacuum-bag-only (MSVB) technique appeared to be superior when compared to other bagging techniques, exhibiting the least coefficients of variation of 0.015 and 0.016 in composites with concave and convex corners, respectively. Curing profiles and their interaction with bagging techniques showed no statistical significance in the contribution toward laminate thickness variation. The spring effect of laminated composites was investigated by calculating the coefficient of determination (R2) relative to that of the mold. The specimens exhibited a good agreement with R2 values ranging from 0.9824 to 0.9946, with no major data offset. This study provides guidelines to reduce thickness variations and spring effect in laminated composites with complex shapes by the optimum selection of processing parameters for prepreg processing.

Impact Response of Curved Composite Laminates: Effect of Radius and Thickness

This paper presents the results of drop-weight impact testing (5 J to 30 J) on curved ±55° E-glass-epoxy laminates of varying radii and wall thickness. Three radii (75 mm, 100 mm, and 125 mm) on laminates with an effective wall thickness of 2.5 mm, and three wall thicknesses (2.5 mm, 4.1 mm, and 6.6 mm) with a radius of 100 mm were investigated. The damage pattern remained consistent, with the exception of the damage area, across the tested energies and was dominated by internal matrix cracking and multiple delaminations. However, no damage was recorded following a 5 J impact on the 2.5 mm thick laminates with 100 mm and 125 mm radii, all energy was absorbed elastically, while the laminate with a 75 mm radius of curvature developed a damage area of over 80 mm2. The thicker laminates showed a reduced overall damage area but a greater number of delaminations. The relationship between laminate thickness and delamination threshold load was found to be in line with impact testing of flat plates, varying with the laminate thickness to the 3/2 power. However, the simplified beam theory and a fracture mechanics model developed for the prediction of delamination threshold of flat plates was found to underestimate the delamination threshold load (DTL) of the curved laminates studied by about 40%. An increase in the laminate’s flexural modulus of a factor of two is required to bring the model’s predictions in line with the DTL values measured experimentally, highlighting how curvature can enhance bending stiffness and alter damage evolution. Finally, a significant finding is that the DTL of the curved plates is around 15% lower than the value measured for the whole cylindrical pipe of same specifications. Testing curved sections rather than a whole pipe could reduce effort, but further work is required to confirm this statement.

Quasi-static mechanical properties of novel generalized Resch-pattern composite foldcores

A new geometric design method for foldcores based on the generalized Resch patterns that allow face-to-face bonding interfaces between the core and the skins is proposed. Based on the geometric design method, a systematic numerical investigation on the quasi-static mechanical properties of the generalized Resch-based foldcores made of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) woven fabrics subjected to compression and shear loads is performed using the finite element method that is validated by experiments. The relationships between the mechanical properties and various geometric parameters as well as laminate thickness of the generalized Resch-based CFRP foldcores are revealed. Additionally, the mechanical properties of the generalized Resch-based CFRP foldcore are compared to those of the standard Resch-based, Miura-based foldcore, the honeycomb core, and the aluminum counterpart. It is found that the generalized Resch-based CFRP foldcore performs more stably than the honeycomb core under compression and has higher compressive and shear stiffnesses than the standard Resch-based and Miura-based foldcores and absorbs as nearly twice energy under compression as the Miura-based foldcore does. When compared with the aluminum counterpart, the CFRP model has higher weight-specific stiffness and strength but lower energy absorption capacity under shearing. The results presented in this paper can serve as the useful guideline for the design of the generalized Resch-based composite foldcore sandwich structures for various performance goals.