Numerical and Experimental Characterization of Tensile Properties of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) Manufactured Using the Filament Winding with Finishing Process After Wet winding

To achieve the highest tensile strength possible in CFRP, a perfect manufacturing process is essential. Even if the raw materials and matrix are the same, different manufacturing stages can yield specimens with varying properties. The difference in fiber volume fraction yield from the specimen can significantly impact the material characteristics in both theoretical calculations and experimental results. To confirm the numerical performance, both hand counts and structural strength simulations will be compared with ASTM 3039 test methods using Abaqus, which will then be validated with experimental test results. In addition, the finishing process and environmental conditioning, particularly air humidity, can have a significant impact on tensile strength. Without additional measures, the winding process resulted in an experimental tensile strength of 512,879 MPa, which is far below the calculation by hand and simulation with Abaqus. However, by controlling the relative humidity to no more than 50% and implementing a compression process and vacuum after the wet winding process, the optimal tensile strength can be achieved. This process produces a tensile strength of 1366 MPa, which is slightly higher than the simulation results.