Modeling of Friction and Shear in Thermostamping of Composites - Part I

Abstract

The effects of processing parameters on the friction coefficient between commingled glass-polypropylene plain-weave fabric composites (Twintex) and the steel tool during thermostamping processes are under investigation. This work focuses on the effect of fiber orientation, fabric velocity, normal force, and resin viscosity (through variations in tool and fabric temperatures) under conditions similar to those in the thermostamping processes. In comparison to the experiments conducted to date, velocity, normal force, and tool temperature have the greatest effect on the friction coefficient. The effect of tool temperature on the friction coefficient dominated the effect of initial fabric temperature on the friction coefficient. Based on the effect of these parameters, a phenomenological model has been incorporated into ABAQUS/Standard as a user-supplied friction subroutine. This model was first used in a finite element model of the friction test. A good agreement was found between the experimentally measured friction force and the numerically calculated one.