• Mehrabadi, Armin Rashidi
• Milani, Abbas S.
• Belnoue, Jonathan P.-H.
• Hallett, Stephen R.
• Rashidi, Armin
• Thompson, Adam J.
• Milani, Abbas

Abstract

An efficient macro-scale finite element approach is introduced to predict defects that arise from the consolidation of carbon fibre woven fabric prepregs. The model incorporates the through-thickness compaction and inter-ply shear behaviour of the plies in the form of a compliant penalty contact in an explicit finite element simulation. For describing the compressibility of uncured prepregs, a one-dimensional compaction model is implemented via a user-subroutine. The model parameters were identified from an experimental programme and validated against compaction and inter-ply shear experiments on a Carbon/Epoxy prepreg. Moreover, the in-plane and out-of-plane behaviour of the woven fabric is captured through a hybrid hypo-elastic membrane and shell modelling approach. The applicability of the model is further demonstrated through a number of industrially relevant case studies. The method is simple, efficient, and it can be applied to assess various scenarios for modelling textile forming and consolidation behaviour.

Topics

• impedance spectroscopy
• Carbon
• experiment
• simulation
• defect
• forming
• one-dimensional
• woven