WITH ULTRASONIC INDUCED CURE

LONG SHELF LIFE EPOXY PREPREGS AND ADHESIVE FILMS ARE REQUIRED FOR REPAIR OF COMPOSITE VEHICLE PARTS AWAY FROM REPAIR DEPOTS. CONVENTIONAL PREPREGS AND SUPPORTED FILM ADHESIVES HAVE A LIMITED AMBIENT TEMPERATURE SHELF LIFE, USUALLY REQUIRING REFRIGERATED STORAGE. LATENT CURE SYSTEMS CAN BENEFIT FROM ADDITIONAL CATALYSTS, BUT THE LATENCY IS USUALLY COMPROMISED. OUR PROPOSED WORK WILL NOT ONLY INVESTIGATE FEASIBILITY OF MICROENCAPSULATION OF CURING AGENTS FOR EPOXY PREPREGS AND SUPPORTED FILM ADHESIVE, BUT WILL ALSO INVESTIGATE AN ULTRANSONIC METHOD OF RUPTURING MICROCAPSULES TO RELEASE CURING AGENT AND/OR CATALYST INTO PREPREG MATRIX. THIS TECHNIQUE OF UTILIZING ULTRASONICS TO PRODUCE SHEAR IN THE RESIN AND RUPTURING THE MICROENCAPSULATED CATALYST CAN BE ADAPTED TO VERY FAST REACTING SYSTEMS. AN ULTRASONIC TOOL WILL BE DEVISED TO RUPTURE ENCAPAULATED CATALYST AND/OR CURING AGENT IN AN EPOXY RESIN PREPREG. THIS TOOL WILL BE UTILIZED AS A FLAT IRON TO IRON ON A PREPREG PATCH OR TO PROCESS PREPREG TO RELEASE CATALYST BEFORE APPLICATION.