INVESTIGATION OF CURE PARAMETERS FOR OPTIMISED MECHANICAL PROPERTIES IN CARBON-EPOXY COMPOSITES

Abstract

This project is targeted to investigate how various processing parameters used in the production of composites namely carbon fibre will affect mechanical properties of composites. The objective of this paper is to produce an ideal set of processing parameters for the production of a composite automotive chassis where Tensile strength, Modulus and Poisson's ratio is of greatest concern. The study begins with a review of current work and trends. Key aspects with regards to the manufacturing process, detailed composite lay-up including fibre types & direction, matrix type, curing parameters are addressed. A particular set of parameters are selected for investigative study and specimen types selected are prepared through the use of Design of Experiments (DOE). Specimens are subjected to ASTM specified experiments to determine the mechanical properties achieved in each experiment run. The results are put through a verification test as part of the DOE process. Lastly, to better understand the results, a tensile test is simulated through the use of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software, Abaqus. The results from this study has eliminated the majority of parameter combinations possible for future carbon fibre processing targeting at the design characteristics of an automotive chassis. The optimised cure parameters may be adopted in future where an automotive chassis can be designed and manufactured.