Forming Process and Simulation Analysis of Helical Carbon Fiber Reinforced Aluminum Matrix Composite

Jun Liang,Zihang Zhao,Chunjing Wu,Weizhong Tang

doi:10.3390/met11122024

Abstract

In order to promote the industrialization of the large deformation technology of carbon fiber composites, this paper studies a new method of forming of helical carbon fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composite. The purpose is to solve the problem of large deformation of carbon fiber with low elongation and metal matrix with high elongation. By introducing carbon fiber with helical space structure into the aluminum matrix, the helical carbon fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composites were prepared and the subsequent drawing deformation was carried out. Here we systematically studied the large plastic deformation behavior of helical carbon fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composite via a combination of numerical simulations and experiments, and analyzed the deformation law and stress of helical carbon fiber in the deformation process. We found that the plastic deformation of the composite causes local stress concentration around the helical carbon fiber, and the helical carbon fiber will move synchronously with the aluminum matrix during the deformation, and receive the pressure from the aluminum matrix. Second, the best process parameters obtained from the simulation, that is, the drawing die angle α = 7°, when five-pass drawing experiments were carried out, the total deformation reached 58%, and the average elongation of a single pass was 18.9%. The experimental show carbon fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composite with helical space structure can achieve large deformation and high strength. The experimental and simulation are in general agreement, which verifies the correctness of the carbon fiber helical structure model.

Highlights

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are a new type of material that appeared in the 1960s, and have been developing rapidly in the past decade or so [1]
This paper presents a helical carbon fiber-reinforced aluminum matrix composite preparation and forming process, a new method of secondary processing and forming of carbon fiber composite
The metal in the deformation zone is in a two-way compressive and one-way tensile stress state under the action of the drawing force P, the positive pressure N given by the die and the frictional force T

Summary

Introduction

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are a new type of material that appeared in the 1960s, and have been developing rapidly in the past decade or so [1]. In 1953, Davis et al [5] used the oxide of Fe as a catalyst to crack CO at 450 ◦C, and two intertwined carbon fibers were observed in the product for the first time by electron microscopy, from which researchers began to study this helical shape of carbon fibers. Some other scholars [11] used finite element analysis to study the mechanism and deformation law of carbon fiber composites during the forming process, etc. This paper presents a helical carbon fiber-reinforced aluminum matrix composite preparation and forming process, a new method of secondary processing and forming of carbon fiber composite. The effect on the deformation of the composite material (both on the aluminum matrix and on the helical carbon fiber) was investigated by comparing the five-pass drawing with the multi-pass drawing. The deformation law of helical carbon fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composite, which provides an experimental and theoretical basis for the forming process of carbon fiber composite, was analyzed

Removal of Surface Sizing Materials from Carbon Fibers

Establishment of Geometric Model

Results and Discussion

Effect on Helical Carbon Fiber

Effect of Different Drawing Parameters on Drawing Force

Conclusions