Local Residual Stress Mitigation after Cure Process by Using Spread Fiber Tow in Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic

Abstract

The spreading tow technique seems promising in application to filament wound or woven composites with advantageous strength enhancement mechanism. The effect of the tow spreading on the cure progress and the residual stress of resin is investigated in this study. We hypothesize that the homogeneous distribution of fibers realized by the spreading tow technique causes suppression of stress concentration of resin in the vicinity of close-packed fibers. The hypothesis is examined through the finite element simulation using micro-scale model with definite separation of fiber and resin. The residual stress and strain after cure process are investigated by means of newly developed simulation system.