Draping Behavior of Carbon Non-Crimp Fabrics and Its Effects on Mechanical Performance of the Hemispherical Composites

Abstract

In order to investigate the draping behavior of non-crimp fabrics (NCFs), two types of carbon NCFs with tricot-chain stitches or chain stitches were formed on a hemispherical mould via a stretch forming process. The shear angle and forming defects of the fabrics were measured on the hemisphere, under different blank holder forces (BHFs). The results showed that increasing BHF could enhance the shear angle slightly, reduce the asymmetry for the deformation of the fabrics, and change the main type of the process-induced defects. Besides, compression tests were performed on the corresponding composite components. By analyzing the change of fiber volume fraction and structural parameters of the textile reinforcements, the effects of draping behavior of NCFs on the mechanical performance of the composites were studied. The results reveal that draping process has distinguishable impacts on the mechanical properties of the final components, which is closely related to the stitching pattern of the NCFs.

Keywords

non-crimp fabric / hemispherical forming / shear deformation / mechanical properties / liquid composite molding

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