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Novel Manufacturing Concepts for Bias Woven Preforms

Peerzada, Mazhar Hussain

[Thesis]. Manchester, UK: The University of Manchester; 2012.

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Abstract

In recent years, the use of textile composites has grown rapidly primarily due to the high strength-to-weight ratio which they offer. The applications of fibre reinforced composites include a range of industries including aerospace, automotive, marine, civil construction, wind energy and sports. The textile reinforcements used for composites include woven, knitted, braided and stitch-bonded preforms. Among these, woven fabrics are the most widely used reinforcements which comprise interlaced warp and weft yarns oriented at 0o and 90o, respectively. This research concerns woven fabrics wherein the interlacing sets of yarns are oriented at bias. The main focus is the development of manufacturing concepts for bias woven preforms.Following a thorough study on existing bias technologies, five bias weaving concepts have been proposed for making bias woven preforms. With regard to the first of these concepts, a Desktop Bias Weaving (DBW) machine has been developed. A range of elementary and compound bias woven preforms have been successfully produced using the DBW machine. The preforms have been consolidated using the vacuum resin infusion process to make textile composites. The mechanical properties of the composite materials have been assessed, and their structure has been analysed to observe tow geometry using advanced imaging techniques such as X-ray tomography. The next step has been the development of advanced Bi-axial Bias (BiB) weaving concepts for producing quasi-isotropic bias woven preforms. Here both sets of interlacing yarns are oriented at bias. Such fabric formation requires a double rapier weft insertion mechanism. With regard to this, four concepts have been proposed and two BiB weaving machines have been developed accordingly. BiB woven preforms based on fundamental plain, twill and satin weaves have been fabricated successfully and impregnated with epoxy resin to make laminates. The weave geometry in the composite samples has been analysed using Scanning Electron Microscopy.