Analysis of Thermal Deformation of Carbon-fiber Reinforced Polymer Matrix Composite Considering Viscoelasticity

Abstract

This study describes viscoelasticity analysis of carbon-fiber reinforced polymer matrix composite material. One of the most important problem during high temperature molding process is residual stress. Residual stress can cause warpage and cracks which can lead to serious defects of the final product. For the difference in thermal expansion coefficient and change of resin property during curing, it is difficult to predict the final deformed shape of carbon-fiber reinforced polymer matrix composite. The consideration of chemical shrinkage can reduce the prediction errors. For this reason, this study includes the viscoelasticity and chemical shrinkage effects in FE analysis by creating subroutines in ABAQUS. Analysis results are compared with other researches to verify the validity of the subroutine developed, and several stacking sequences are introduced to compare tested results.