Investigation on the compressive mechanical properties of ultra-thick CFRP laminates. (1st March 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gao, Yu; Wang, Jian; Song, Xiaowen; Ding, Huiming; Wang, Han; Bi, YunBo; Ke, Yinglin
• Is Part Of: International journal of mechanical sciences. Volume 241(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-03-01
• Subjects: Ultra-thick laminate -- Carbon fibre -- Damage mechanics -- Finite element analysis (FEA) -- Fractography; Mechanical engineering -- Periodicals; Génie mécanique -- Périodiques; Mechanical engineering; Maschinenbau; Mechanik; Zeitschrift; Periodicals; 621.05
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmecsci.2022.107966
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0020-7403

Abstract

Highlights: A layered pre-compaction scheme has been developed for curing ultra-thick composite laminates. A novel uniaxial test method for ultra-thick composite laminates is proposed, and a heavy-duty compression test device is built. High-modulus specimens have lower strength than low-modulus specimens due to premature delamination. The test and simulation data of ultra-thick laminates are valuable reference for the design of ultra-thick structure. Abstract: The damage mechanism of ultra-thick laminates widely used in aerospace and marine industries was obviously different from that of thin laminates. However, compression testing and simulation methods were generally limited to relatively thin laminates. To explore the compressive failure behavior of ultra-thick laminates, Firstly, a layered pre-compaction scheme was proposed to ensure the curing quality of ultra-thick laminates. A heavy-duty compression test equipment (accuracy reached 0.001 mm) was then developed, and a novel compression test method for ultra-thick composite laminates was proposed. The results showed that delamination played a key role in the failure behavior of ultra-thick laminates. The low interlaminar normal strength of ultra-thick laminates (55% of the 2 mm thin laminate) led to premature delamination, and wrinkle defects seriously reduced the compressive strength (11%). The compressive behavior for the matrix-dominant failure specimen predicted by the Puck criterion was the smallest (0.07%), while Tsai-Wu 3D predicted the smallest error (5.1%) for the delamination-dominant specimen. Finally, these findings are helpful for the design of ultra-thick composite structures. Graphical abstract: Image, graphical abstract