LOW COST RESIN TRANSFER MOLDING OF HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPOSITE COMPONENTS

THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVE TOOLING AND PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY FOR HIGH RATE, LOW COST MANUFACTURE OF HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPOSITE AIRCRAFT STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS USING THE RESIN TRANSFER MOLDING PROCESS. THE CONVENTIONAL RESIN TRANSFER MOLDING PROCESS WILL BE MODIFIED TO FABRICATE COMPONENTS USING HIGH TEMPERATURE RESINS AND GRAPHITE FIBER REINFORCEMENT AT HIGH FIBER VOLUMES. THE APPROACH WILL CONCENTRATE ON MAKING IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TOOLING, RESIN IMPREGNATION SYSTEM, AND THE PROCESS CONTROL AND SEQUENCING. A PROPRIETARY TOOLING TECHNOLOGY IS PROPOSED TO REDUCE TOOLING COST RELATIVE TO CONVENTIONAL TOOLING. THE TOOLING WILL ALLOW THE CAVITY GEOMETRY TO VARY DURING THE PROCESS AND WILL CONTAIN OTHER FEATURES TO CONTROL RESIN FLOW DURING THE IMPREGNATION AND THE SUBSEQUENT DEBULKING AND COMPACTION. THE APPROACH RELIES ON THE MUCH HIGHER PERMEABILITIES PRESENT AT LOWER FIBER VOLUMES AND IN FLOW OUTSIDE THE FIBER BED. TWO TOOLS WILL BE CONSTRUCTED TO DEVELOP THE PROCESS AND FABRICATE COMPONENTS. A TWO-DIMENSIONAL MOLD WILL BE USED TO FABRICATE FLAT PLATES WHICH WILL BE PHYSICALLY AND STRUCTURALLY TESTED FOR BASIC CHARACTERIZATION OF THE PROCESS. A THREE DIMENSIONALMOLD WILL BE USED FOR FABRICATION OF A TYPICAL AIRCRAFT STRUCTURAL SUCH AS A "T" STIFFENER ON A PLATE WHICH WILL BE PHYSICALLY TESTED.