Abstract
Carbon-Kevlar hybrid reinforcement is increasingly used in the domains that have both strength and anti-impact requirements. However, the research on the preforming behaviors of hybrid reinforcement is very limited. This paper aims to investigate the mechanical and preforming behaviors of carbon-Kevlar hybrid reinforcement. The results show that carbon-Kevlar hybrid woven reinforcement presents a unique “double-peak” tensile behavior, which is significantly different from that of single fiber type reinforcement, and the in-plane shear deformation demonstrates its large in-plane shear deformability. Both the tensile and in-plane shear behaviors present insensitivity to loading rate. In the preforming process, yarn slippage and out-of-plane yarn buckling are the two primary types of defects. Locations of these defects are closely related to the punch shape and the initial yarn direction. These defects cannot be alleviated or removed by just increasing the blank holder pressure. In the multi-layer preforming, the compaction between the plies and the friction between yarns simultaneously affect the quality of final preforms. The defect location of multi-layer preforms is the same as that of single-layer, while its defect range is much wider. The results found in this paper could provide useful guidance for the engineering application and preforming modeling of hybrid woven reinforcement.
Highlights
In recent years, the demand for excellent performance and lightweight materials has prompted the application of fiber-reinforced composite materials by replacing traditional metal materials [1]
There are complex relationships among mechanical properties of reinforcements, such as preforming process parameters and punch shapes, which affect the quality of final preforms
The interested deformation behaviors of hybrid woven reinforcements are the tensile deformation along yarn direction and in-plane shear between two yarn directions, which are the primary deformation mode in preforming
Summary
The demand for excellent performance and lightweight materials has prompted the application of fiber-reinforced composite materials by replacing traditional metal materials [1]. By controlling the orientation and volume fraction of fibers, composites can achieve the desired dimensional stability and mechanical strength while being formed into complex geometrical components [2,3,4,5,6] Another approach to obtain the desired or improved performance is through hybridization among different types of reinforcements. Guzman-Maldonado et al [32] performed a numerical study on multi-layer preforming reinforcements They investigated the interaction between adjacent plies during the preforming process and emphasized that the distortion of contact plies in different directions increased the severity of wrinkles. There exists some research on the carbon-Kevlar hybrid composites [8,37,38], indicating that appropriate fiber hybridization could improve the mechanical performance of composites These studies are primarily focused on the cured composites composed of carbon-Kevlar.
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