Effect of tool and prepreg surface topography on frictional slippage vs stretching response of stretch broken carbon fiber (SBCF) reinforced composite during forming

Recent interest in aligned discontinuous fiber materials has facilitated the advancement of stretch broken carbon fiber (SBCF), which can be incorporated into existing composite systems to achieve superior formability in complex structural shapes. The larger deformation of SBCFs along the fiber axis when compared to continuous fibers is influenced by the overall friction behavior of the prepreg material during forming processes. A novel test fixture based on a pull-through method was employed. Experiments were conducted on uncured SBCF reinforced prepreg to evaluate frictional properties at the tool-ply interface and their influence on the stretch deformation of the material. The roughness of the tool surface was varied, and its effect on frictional resistance was found to be critical for isolating stretching deformation from frictional slippage. Additionally, prepregs with different surface morphology were also tested, and a significant effect of surface resin distribution was found impacting tool-ply interaction and, thereby, frictional resistance. Previous article in issue

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