Advanced composites using non-autoclave processes: Manufacturing and characterization.

摘要

The objective of the present study is to develop non-autoclave processes to manufacture high performance composites for aerospace applications. In Paper 1, vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process was developed for elevated temperature composites. Use of VARTM process for fabricating high temperature resins presents unique challenges such as high porosity and low fiber volume contents. Two different vacuum bagging methods: Seeman Composite Resin Infusion Molding Process (SCRIMP) and Double Vacuum Bagging Infusion (DVBI) process were evaluated. Flow simulation tool was used to predict key flow parameters needed for the successful infusion. In Paper 2, honeycomb sandwich panels were manufactured using commercially available film adhesive and modified VARTM process. The resin incursion into the core openings is a major challenge for applying VARTM process to open cell core sandwich composites. Panels manufactured using the developed process did not show any resin accumulation in the core. The mechanical performance of the manufactured sandwich composites was evaluated. Results indicate that the VARTM process can be successfully used to manufacture honeycomb composite sandwich structures using currently available barrier adhesive films. In Paper 3, a new generation vacuum-bag-only cure out-of-autoclave (OOA) manufacturing process was studied. Physical and mechanical performance of the composites was evaluated. The influence of size, lay-up configuration, thickness and their interactions on the impact behavior of the composites was studied using Design of Experiments (DoE).