FME TRANSACTIONS, cilt.46, sa.2, ss.224-229, 2018 (ESCI)
The structure of tufted preform affects the processing properties such as porosity, permeability and mechanical properties of the final aerospace composite part. In this paper, the behavior of tufted preforms was examined under different loading conditions. The preform is experienced tensile, draping and compression test and its characteristics were examined. It was found that the tufted preform could offer higher tensile loading in comparison with untufted preform, while there was no significant difference in the extension between the two types of preforms. Draping involved the drawing of a fabric over a hole placed in a drape fixture without wrinkling. Due to high drapability and low forming energy, tufted structures could be selected as textile reinforcement for production of the complex shape specimens. The same compression behaviour was observed for both tufted and untufted preforms. Finally, the mechanical and microscopic characterization was carried out for recognizing the formability of tufted preforms to produce complex shaped textile composites.