Manufacturing and Evaluation of High-Quality Composites using Out-of-Autoclave Prepreg - Juniper Publishers
Academic Journal of Polymer Science - Juniper Publishers Abstract Carbon fiber-reinforced thermoset polymers have become popular in a wide variety of applications such as primary aerospace structures, sporting goods and wind energy systems. Autoclave processing has been the preferred method for fabricating high performance composites. However, the need for low-cost, high-performance composites prompted researchers and industries to develop new techniques such as vacuum aided resin transfer molding (VARTM) and vacuum-bag-only cure out-of-autoclave (OOA). Manufacturing parts with less than 1% void content, on the other hand, remains a difficulty. In the present study, the OOA technique was used to create high-quality (less than 0.25 percent void content) carbon/epoxy composites. The phases in the processing that result in good quality are described. Physical, mechanical, and fatigue properties of the manufactured composites were evaluated. Keywords: Fiber-reinforced; Polymers; Carbon;