Development of Lab Scale Resin Transfer Molding System for Aerospace Materials Research
Research Mentor(s)
Chawla, Tanveer Singh, 1972-
Description
Research was conducted into the development of a lab scale resin transfer molding (RTM) system for use in composite materials research and university education. A reactive injection mold (RIM) was converted into an RTM mold to produce flat 11”x 11” sandwich panels for destructive mechanical test specimens. The complete RTM system configuration was designed for elevated resin infusion temperatures (>100 °C) for high viscosity (>400 cP at 25 °C) resins systems such as benzoxazine, and accommodate curing temperatures (>150 °C) per the requirements of commercially available benzoxazine resin. The RTM system was implemented for the manufacturing of benzoxazine/fiberglass sandwich panels and the process was optimized using 2^3 full factorial design of experiments, investigating the influence of injection temperature, total infusion time, and vacuum pressure on final part quality. The RTM process was qualified through the measurement of fiber/resin ratio and void content through burnoff testing in accordance with ASTM D3171.
Document Type
Event
Start Date
18-5-2017 9:00 AM
End Date
18-5-2017 12:00 PM
Department
Engineering and Design
Genre/Form
student projects; posters
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Materials science; Chemical engineering
Type
Image
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this documentation for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Development of Lab Scale Resin Transfer Molding System for Aerospace Materials Research
Research was conducted into the development of a lab scale resin transfer molding (RTM) system for use in composite materials research and university education. A reactive injection mold (RIM) was converted into an RTM mold to produce flat 11”x 11” sandwich panels for destructive mechanical test specimens. The complete RTM system configuration was designed for elevated resin infusion temperatures (>100 °C) for high viscosity (>400 cP at 25 °C) resins systems such as benzoxazine, and accommodate curing temperatures (>150 °C) per the requirements of commercially available benzoxazine resin. The RTM system was implemented for the manufacturing of benzoxazine/fiberglass sandwich panels and the process was optimized using 2^3 full factorial design of experiments, investigating the influence of injection temperature, total infusion time, and vacuum pressure on final part quality. The RTM process was qualified through the measurement of fiber/resin ratio and void content through burnoff testing in accordance with ASTM D3171.