A Modeling Framework for the Thermoforming of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites.

A comprehensive modeling framework for the thermoforming of polymer matrix woven laminate composite was developed. Two numerical indicators, the slip path length and traction magnitude, have been identified to be positively correlated to matrix smearing and wrinkling defects. The material model has been calibrated with picture-frame experimental results, and the prediction accuracy for intra-ply shear and thickness distribution was examined with measurements of the physically formed parts. Specifically, thickness prediction for most locations on the formed parts was accurate within an 11.6% error margin. However, at two points with significant intra-ply shear, the prediction errors increased to around 20%. Finally, a parametric study was conducted to determine the relationship between various process parameters and the quality of the formed part. For the trapezoidal part, orienting the laminate at 45 degrees to the mold axis reduces the likelihood of matrix smear and wrinkling defects. Although this laminate orientation yielded a greater spatial variation in part thickness, the thickness deviation is lower than that for the 0-degree orientation case. Two forming analyses were conducted with ramp rates of 25 mm/s and 80 mm/s to match the equipment's operational limits. It was observed that higher forming rates led to a greater likelihood of defects, as evidenced by a 15% and 10% increase in the formed part areas with longer slip paths and higher traction magnitudes, respectively. It was discovered that shallower molds benefit from faster ramp rates, while deeper molds require slower rates to manage extensive shearing, stretching and bending. Faster forming rates lead to smaller thickness increases at high intra-ply shear regions, indicating a shift from intra-ply shear to out-of-plane bending due to the visco-plastic effect of the molten laminate and can negatively impact part quality. Lastly, it was shown that a well-conceived strategy using darts could improve the part quality by reducing the magnitude of the defect indicators.

Processing and Mechanical Properties of Basalt Fibre-Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites.

Basalt fibre is derived from volcanic rocks and has similar mechanical properties as glass fibre. However, poor fibre-matrix compatibility and processing issues are the main factors that have restricted the mechanical performance of basalt fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites (BFRTP). In this work, basalt continuous fibre composites with polypropylene (PP) and polycarbonate (PC) matrices were studied. The composites were processed by compression moulding, and a processing study was conducted to achieve good quality composites. For the BF-PC composites, the optimisation of material preparation and processing steps allowed the polymer to impregnate the fibres with minimal fibre movements, hence improving impregnation and mechanical properties. For BF-PP composites, a compatibiliser was required to improve fibre-matrix compatibility. The compatibiliser significantly improved the tensile and impact strength values for short BF-PP composites and continued to increase at 40 wt%. Furthermore, the analytical modelling of the Young's moduli indicated that the induced fibre orientation during processing for short BF-PP composites and unidirectional (UD) BF-PC composites had better stress transfer than that of UD BF-PP composites.