Analysis and design of smart mandrels using shape memory polymers

Based on the thermomechanical mechanism of shape memory polymers (SMPs), the three-dimensional thermomechanical constitutive equation that can be used in the ABAQUS finite element simulation was derived. Then this paper compiled UMAT subroutine and simulated the thermomechanical behaviors of SMP smart mandrels. In addition, the properties of shape fixity and shape recovery ratio of SMP were considered in detail. Finally, filament winding experiments were proceeded on bottle-shaped and air duct-shaped mandrels and the simple and efficient demoulding of SMP mandrels were verified. The results showed the feasibility of SMP as the smart mandrels from practical application in the future.