Flow characteristics of carbon fibre sheet moulding compounds

Evans, A. D.; Qian, C. C.; Harper, L. T.; Warrior, N. A.; Brookbank, P.; Savage, L.

Abstract

© 2015 International Committee on Composite Materials. All rights reserved. This paper presents the development of a low cost carbon fibre moulding compound using a robotic spray deposition process, developed at the University of Nottingham. Directed Fibre Compounding (DFC) produces a net-shape charge pack from virgin carbon fibres and a low cost liquid epoxy. The resin is heated to minimise the viscosity, ensuring good dispersion and wet out of the chopped fibres during the deposition stage. The charge is then chemically B-staged to avoid fibre/matrix separation during compression moulding. The aim of this study is to understand the moulding characteristics of this new material, compared with an equivalent carbon fibre/epoxy compound produced using a modified glass SMC production facility. Two commercial CF-SMC benchmarks are also considered. The influence of charge size (percentage mould coverage) on mechanical performance has been studied. Results indicate that high levels of flow can be achieved for the DFC material without encountering fibre/matrix separation or introducing voids. This level of flow has a positive effect on both the longitudinal tensile stiffness and strength, due to flow induced alignment. However, intra-plaque variability increases, highlighting the advantages of adopting a net-shaped DFC charge.

Citation

Evans, A. D., Qian, C. C., Harper, L. T., Warrior, N. A., Brookbank, P., & Savage, L. (2015). Flow characteristics of carbon fibre sheet moulding compounds. In O. Thybo Thomsen, C. Berggreen, & B. F. Sørensen (Eds.),

• Presentation Conference Type: Edited Proceedings
• Conference Name: 20th ICCM International Conferences on Composite Materials
• Start Date: Jul 19, 2015
• End Date: Jul 24, 2015
• Publication Date: 2015
• Deposit Date: Mar 19, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: May 1, 2024
• Publisher: Aalborg Universitetsforlag
• Volume: Paper 5108-3
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3965357
• Publisher URL: https://www.iccm-central.org/Proceedings/ICCM20proceedings/papers/paper-5108-3.pdf
• Related Public URLs: https://www.iccm-central.org/Proceedings/ICCM20proceedings/