%0 Journal Article
%T Rapid consolidation and curing of advanced composites using electron beam irradiation
%A Daniel Montoney
%A Daniel Walczyk
%A Jaron Kuppers
%A Richard Galloway
%A Robert Rizzolo
%J Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture
%@ 2041-2975
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/0954405418769950
%X A low-cost, low-waste manufacturing method for advanced thermoset composite parts could improve market penetration of composites compared to other engineering materials such as aluminum or steel. Such a method could combine some of the new trends in composites manufacturing such as resin infusion (eliminates need for prepreg), out-of-autoclave consolidation, and snap curing. The feasibility of a hybrid process with these characteristics has been demonstrated by uniting liquid composite molding, resin curing by electron beam irradiation, and high pressure consolidation with specialized elastomeric tooling. To demonstrate feasibility, a mold set was designed to make flat, square four-ply woven carbon fiber parts by (1) vacuum-infusing dry preforms with an electron beam¨Ccurable epoxy resin in minutes, (2) applying 690£¿kPa of uniform pressure and consolidating in seconds using an elastomer-faced specialized elastomeric tooling tool and simple hydraulic press, and (3) curing in seconds using a 3£¿MeV electron beam source. To better understand how various process parameters affect part performance, parameters are varied in a simple design of experiments, and flexural strength and stiffness, thickness distribution, fiber and void volume fractions, surface roughness, and cross-sectional characteristics (via microscopy) are measured and compared
%K Advanced composites
%K thermosetting resin
%K consolidation
%K liquid composite molding
%K resin curing
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0954405418769950