Study on the temperature field of carbon fiber composite laminates considering pyrolysis damage

Abstract

To overcome the pyrolysis problem of fiber-reinforced resin matrix composites at high temperature, the heat transfer characteristics of carbon fiber-reinforced composites (T700/350) were experimentally studied at different temperatures. Infrared thermal imaging was used to detect the temperature field and internal delamination of the unexposed surface of the composites. Furthermore, based on the UMATHT subroutine of the ABAQUS software, a thermal response model for the composite laminates was constructed, which considered heat transfer in both the in-plane and thickness directions. The research results show that the temperature of the heated zone of the carbon fiber composite laminates varies gradually along the in-plane and thickness directions under unilateral heating conditions. As the furnace temperature rises from 350 °C to 400 °C, a thermal reaction occurs on the exposed surface, and the laminates undergo internal delamination due to thermal stress. With the increase in furnace temperature, the pyrolysis reaction of the material on the exposed surface intensifies until carbonization occurs, and it expands along the thickness direction. The infrared thermal imaging equipment used could not only accurately measure the temperature field of the unexposed surface of the laminates but also effectively detect the internal delamination of the laminates. The simulation results show that the established pyrolysis response model can not only effectively simulate the variation characteristics of the temperature field and the initial thermal decomposition temperature of the composite laminates under unilateral heating conditions, but also simulate the pyrolysis reaction temperature, pyrolysis density change and carbonization law of the material.