Improvement of Mechanical Properties and Forming Efficiency during Hot Gas Forming of CFRP Curved Surface Components
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Experimental
2.1. Hot Gas Forming Process
2.2. Traditional Forming Process
2.3. Tensile Test
2.4. Observation of Morphology
3. Curing Behavior and Mechanical Properties of CFRP
4. Feasibility Analysis about Hot Gas Forming of CFRP Components
4.1. Typical Defects
4.2. Control Methods of Defects and Process Feasibility
5. Deformation Behavior of CFRP Complex Curved Components in Hot Gas Forming
5.1. Trial Production of Complex Curved Surface Components
5.2. Variation of Mechanical Properties and Forming Efficiency
5.3. Mechanism Analysis of Enhanced Properties
6. Conclusions
- The curing behavior and mechanical properties of CFRP were analyzed. The DSC test of CFRP showed that its curing temperature was about 133.5 °C. The high temperature curing experiment and performance test of CFRP were carried out. It was found that the forming efficiency and performance of CFRP were low. The shortest curing time was 48.4 min according to the DSC test, and the tensile strength obtained by traditional forming was 242 MPa.
- A new method of hot gas forming was proposed to obtain CFRP components. A special device for hot gas forming was designed and developed. A simple spherical part was formed by the hot gas forming process. Cracking, resin surplus and wrinkling, three defects that occurred in hot gas forming of CFRP, were summarized. Under the suitable forming parameters, the defects were controlled well, and the feasibility of the process was verified.
- Taking the battery cover plate of a new energy vehicle as the research object, the hot gas forming of complex curved components was carried out. The results showed that compared with the traditional process, the forming performance and efficiency of the hot gas forming process were improved by 37% and 58%. With the increase in gas pressure, the compactness of the curved components was improved. Its strength was increased by about 40 MPa. When the forming temperature was 130 °C, it had better forming performance. Its tensile strength reached 288.4 MPa, which was increased by about 11%. With the increase in pressurization rate, the tensile properties at 130 °C first increased and then decreased, and reached the maximum value of 333.6 at 0.01 MPa/s.
- The enhancement mechanisms of the forming temperature, gas pressure and pressurization rate on the tensile properties of the parts were analyzed. With the increase in gas pressure, the carbon fiber bundles in the CFRP were bonded more closely, and the compactness of the curved components was improved. Appropriate pressurization rate made the carbon fiber bundles evenly distributed in the curing process and improved the forming performance of the CFRP. The proper forming temperature and the correct pressurization rate provided enough reaction time for the crosslinking curing of the resin, thus improving the strength of the CFRP.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
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Tensile Strength | Elastic Modulus | Elongation |
---|---|---|
3.5 GPa | 230 GPa | 1.5% |
Linear Density | Monofilament Diameter | - |
1.78 g/cm3 | 7 μm | - |
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Chen, Y.; Lin, Y.; Wang, H.; Liu, Z.; Hua, L. Improvement of Mechanical Properties and Forming Efficiency during Hot Gas Forming of CFRP Curved Surface Components. Materials 2021, 14, 5316. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14185316
Chen Y, Lin Y, Wang H, Liu Z, Hua L. Improvement of Mechanical Properties and Forming Efficiency during Hot Gas Forming of CFRP Curved Surface Components. Materials. 2021; 14(18):5316. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14185316
Chicago/Turabian StyleChen, Yizhe, Yi Lin, Hui Wang, Zhiwen Liu, and Lin Hua. 2021. "Improvement of Mechanical Properties and Forming Efficiency during Hot Gas Forming of CFRP Curved Surface Components" Materials 14, no. 18: 5316. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14185316