Carbon composites fly high
This article describes improved techniques of resin transfer molding being used to fabricate flight-critical carbon-composite structures for aircraft and jet engines. Hand lay-up methods have been the traditional means to fabricate fiber-reinforced resin-composite parts. The procedure typically involves laying up or stacking multiple plies of preimpregnated woven fabrics in molds, then curing the sealed mold assemblies in autoclaves. The entire process is both time-consuming and labor-intensive. Only in the last few years has resin transfer molding (RTM)--a family of processes in which resin is injected into fiber preforms enclosed in heated mold cavities--emerged as a viable alternative for producing composite parts. RTM can often speed processing because it performs the shaping and curing functions in one step. The method also features the ability (in principle) to achieve precise control of the placement, orientation, and quantity of reinforcing fibers in the formed structure. Thus, RTM lends itself well to the fabrication of highly complex structural shapes that usually pose a challenge to the lay-up method.
- OSTI ID:
- 538150
- Journal Information:
- Mechanical Engineering, Vol. 119, Issue 9; Other Information: PBD: Sep 1997
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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