Intelligent Material and Process Design for Stamping of Structural Composites

结构或连续纤维复合材料具有高强度、高刚度和轻量化的独特品质，以及可定制的热学和电学性能。尽管在小批量航空航天和国防应用中取得了成功，但由于周期长，结构复合材料仍然处于建筑、汽车和消费品等大批量行业的外围。冲压，这个项目的目标制造工艺，提供了一种制造复合板材产品的速度比任何现有的连续纤维工艺快10到100倍的方法。然而，为了使复合材料冲压成为一种可行的工艺，人们必须了解纤维是如何变形的，是什么导致了褶皱和撕裂等缺陷，以及温度、冲压速率和边界约束等工艺参数是如何影响材料响应的。这些具有挑战性的问题将通过两所大学和福特之间的合作研究来解决。调查人员将运用他们的集体知识在钣金冲压，纺织机械和复合材料成型领域。该研究项目的主要目标是开发复合冲压模型，以帮助设计人员优化材料选择和制造工具/毛坯/工艺设计。这些知识将为冲压结构复合材料的大批量应用创造机会。在本研究中获得的知识不仅将对行业产生重大影响，而且将广泛传播给行业从业者和研究生和本科生。

Structural or continuous fiber composites possess the unique qualities of high strength, high stiffness, and lightweight, as well as tailorable thermal and electrical properties. Despite demonstrated success in low volume aerospace and defense applications, structural composites remain at the periphery of high volume industries such as construction, automotive, and consumer goods because of long cycle time. Stamping, the target manufacturing process of this project, provides a means of making composite sheet products at rates ten to a hundred times faster than any existing continuous fiber processes. However, to make composites stamping a viable process, one must understand how the fibers deform, what causes defects such as wrinkling and tearing, and how process parameters such as temperature, stamping rate, and boundary constraints all affect the material response. These challenging issues will be addressed by collaborative research between two universities and Ford. The investigators will apply their collective knowledge in the areas of sheet metal stamping, textile mechanics, and composites forming. The primary goal of this research project is the development of a composite stamping model to assist designers with optimizing material selection and tool/blank/process design for manufacturing. This knowledge will create opportunities for stamped structural composites to be utilized in high volume applications. The knowledge gained in this research will have not only a substantial impact upon industry but will be widely disseminated to industry practitioners and graduate and undergraduate students.