Engineering Commons^™

Kinematics Of Inter-Ply Interfaces In Composite Manufacturing, Sandeep Chava

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The ubiquitous usage of polymer matrix composites in many applications demands a comprehensive understanding of composite interfaces and processing induced residual stresses, which critically affect both the manufacturing processes and the deformation mechanisms. Processing induced residual stresses are often responsible for causing warping, delamination, and dimensional instability in composite structures. This research includes new in-situ experimental approaches, cure cycle design, interface modification, and thermomechanical modeling for developing a fundamental understanding of the cure kinetics during composite manufacturing. Strains, ply-movement, and formation of defects are observed in-situ using digital image correlation (DIC) during the autoclave cure cycle for the first time. …