Dry friction characterisation of carbon fibre tow and satin weave fabric for composite applications

Composites forming processes such as resin transfer moulding (RTM) typically involve a preforming step in which dry fabric material is deformed. Frictional forces in tool–fabric and fabric–fabric contacts determine the fabric deformation behaviour to a large extent. Previous investigations of the frictional behaviour of fibrous materials were mostly performed on a particular scale, i.e. microscopic (filament), mesoscopic (tow), or macroscopic (fabric). This study aims to provide a coupling between these scales by means of friction experiments on both carbon tows and carbon fabric in contact with metal counterfaces. The frictional behaviour of both materials on metal was measured on a capstan and a flat plate-friction setup. The frictional behaviour of fabric was comparable to that of single tows for matching pressures based on the mesoscopic contact area with the metal counterface. Furthermore, the agreement of the results forms a validation of both friction characterisation methods.