Production of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composites and Determination of Their Mechanical Properties

In this study, tensile tests of carbon fiber-based composite materials produced by compression molding and pultrusion were conducted at 0°, 45°, and 90° fiber orientations through experiments and Finite Element Analyses (FEA), and database data were obtained for the materials. In the study, plain-weave prepreg composites were used in the compression molding method, while carbon fiber yarns were used in the pultrusion method. Tensile tests were carried out on a universal testing machine in accordance with the ISO 527-4 standard. The experimental data obtained were compared with Finite Element Analyses performed in the ABAQUS CAE environment. The results showed that fiber orientation has a decisive effect on the mechanical properties of composites. It was determined that specimens taken in the 0° fiber orientation exhibited superior mechanical properties compared with specimens in the other orientations. It was observed that composites with 0° fiber orientation produced by the pultrusion method showed higher stiffness, underwent lower deformation under the same stress, and were more resistant to elastic deformation. It was evaluated that there was general agreement between the experimental results and numerical analyses, while the observed differences were caused by factors such as production-related defects, test conditions, and the ideal assumptions used in the simulations. The findings reveal that the production method and fiber layup angle are critical parameters in optimizing the mechanical properties of carbon fiber composites.