Abstract
The two-dimensional (2D) braiding and filament winding (FW) are widely used processes for tubular preform manufacturing for composite structures. However FW and braiding are incapable of longitudinal and hoop fibre reinforcement respectively. In order to take advantage of both the processes being used for tubular preforming, this study was carried out to associate the processes for inline manufacturing. Enhanced processibility was achieved as it allowed manufacturing of quadriaxial quasi-isotropic (QQ) (±45°/0°/90°) layup. The manufacturing capability of QQ configuration provided flexibility in tubular preform design. In addition, composite tubes developed by using 2D braiding and vacuum assisted resin infusion (VARI) often generate an imperfection called wrinkle. During the debulking process under compression, stress relaxation within the braid layers result in out of plane distortion creating wrinkles. Using the combined braid-winding processes the major causes of wrinkle formation, radius of curvature and fibre bulk was eliminated significantly reducing the possibility of wrinkle formation.
| Original language | English |
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| Number of pages | 7 |
| Publication status | Published - 26 May 2015 |