Optimization of structural parameters for promoting formability of 3D tufted composite preforms
摘要
The formability of tufted composite preforms is strongly dependent on the in-plane shear, out-of-plane bending and interlayer friction behaviors. However, owing to a lack of systematic studies concerning the influence of various tufting parameters on these forming behaviors, effective strategies for optimizing tufting parameters for double-curved forming process remain unavailable. In this paper, orthogonal experiments with range analysis and ANOVA are employed to investigate the relationships between the multiple tufting parameters and the corresponding forming behaviors. The results indicate that in-plane angle of tufting yarn dominates in-plane shear stiffness of preforms (contribution ratio is 99.69%), tufting space has the most significant effect on out-of-plane bending stiffness of preforms (contribution ratio is 45.20%), and loop length of tufting yarn is the key parameter governing interlayer friction (contribution ratio is 91.07%). An optimization strategy for these tufting parameters is proposed to reduce the wrinkles, and hemispherical forming tests have been applied for verification.