2025, 46(4): 495-504.
doi: 10.21656/1000-0887.450151
Abstract:
Carbon fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites are widely used engineering materials, and their performances directly affects the safety and reliability of engineering applications. The carbon fiber shape and interphase are considered as important factors affecting the properties of composites. Therefore, conducting indepth research on the carbon fiber shape and interphase effects on the thermoelastic properties of composites is of significance for the optimization design and engineering application of carbon fiber composites. A representative volume element (RVE) model was established with the finite element method. The internal microstructure of the composite was simulated, and the influences of different fiber volume fractions and shapes, interphase volume fractions and behaviors on the equivalent properties of fiber composites, were investigated. The results show that, the fiber shape has little effect on macroscopic longitudinal Young’s modulus and the longitudinal thermal expansion coefficient of the composite, but has a great influence on transverse Young’s modulus, the transverse shear modulus, the longitudinal shear modulus and the transverse thermal expansion coefficient, especially with the increase of the fiber volume fraction. Longitudinal and transverse Young’s moduli of the composite will increase with the interfacial volume fraction, while the interphase effect is manifested as a hard one, but will decrease while the interphase effect is manifested as a soft one. When the interfacial thermal expansion coefficient is less than that of the matrix, both the longitudinal and the transverse thermoparameters of the composite will decrease with the interfacial volume fraction; but when the interfacial thermal expansion coefficient is greater than that of the matrix, both the longitudinal and the transverse thermoparameters of the composite will increase with the interfacial volume fraction.