Abstract
A low cost, high performance composite fabrication process - tackified SCRIMP is developed for fabricating aerospace-grade composites based on tackification and vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM). Tackification is a widely used method in making `net-shape fiber preform' for Resin Transfer Molding (RTM). A commercial tackifier (PT 500 from 3M) was used in this study. It was found that tackifier concentration and application conditions play important roles in governing the moldability of tackified fiber preforms. Aerospace-grade resins such as PR 500 from 3M can be molded by using a VARTM process - SCRIMP at high temperatures. Experimental results show that composites with a high fiber content (>60% by volume) can be manufactured by this low cost method with the help of tackification. The effect of the tackification method on composite dimension control, permeability, void content, and mechanical properties is investigated. The quality of composites made by two molding methods - RTM and SCRIMP is also compared.
| Original language | English |
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| Pages (from-to) | I/- |
| Journal | International SAMPE Symposium and Exhibition (Proceedings) |
| Volume | 45 |
| State | Published - May 2000 |
| Event | 45th International SAMPE Symposium and Exhibition - Long Beach, CA, USA Duration: 21 May 2000 → 25 May 2000 |