SUMMARY

Forming processes are favored for producing carbon-fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) component thanks to its high production rate and low equipment cost. However, this type of process has a major weakness, which is the risk of developing wrinkling defects. The wrinkling defect during CFRP forming is a complex phenomenon involving a number of factors: the material properties of the CFRP fabric, stacking sequence and orientation of the layers, temperature, forming rate, and tool geometry. In order to predict the formation of wrinkling defects, a theory is formulated to correlate some of the factors which affects the CFRP forming processes. Statistic models based on the theory was fitted using forming experiment data and a process window can be established. Furthermore, material characterization tests were performed for critical CFRP deformation behavior such as intra-ply shear and ply-ply interactions. A better understanding of the material behavior was achieved, and computational models were formulated based on the experimental characterization data. The main contribution of this research is the potential for better guided testing/simulation strategies which can improve the efficiency of process development cycle. Furthermore, the formulated computational models for the material deformation behavior can be used to improve the accuracy of process simulations. MS Teams link for remote audience: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NTNjMWNmM2QtNGI0Yi00NjQzLWJlYmYtNTY5NTE1MzZmOWZj%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22482198bb-ae7b-4b25-8b7a-6d7f32faa083%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22dbb92d0e-9b83-4004-84be-30ec4a7647f2%22%7d