DEVELOPMENT OF SYNERGISTIC PREPREGGING TECHNOLOGIES

HIGH-PERFORMANCE, THERMOPLASTIC (TP) RESINS ARE NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT TO MELT-PREPREG BECAUSE OF THEIR HIGH VISCOSITIES,AND HIGH-MODULUS FIBERS FOR ADVANCED COMPOSITES ARE DIFFICULT TO HANDLE AND MELT-PREPREG. TWO INNOVATIVE PREPREGGING TECHNOLOGIES WILL BE COMBINED WITH ADVANCED FIBER/MATRIX MATERIALS TO FORM PREPREGS THAT PROVIDE SUPERIOR STRUCTURAL EFFICIENCY AND EXCELLENT HIGH-TEMPERATURE PERFORMANCE. THESE SYNERGISTIC TECHNOLOGIES ARE HIGH-SHEAR PREPREGGING (HSP) AND MAXIMAL FIBER SPREADING (MFS). HSP TECHNOLOGY DRAMATICALLY REDUCES TP RESIN VISCOSITIES BY SHEAR-THINNING AND READILY ACCOMPLISHES COMPLETE FIBER IMPREGNATION. CURRENT COMMERCIAL PREPREGGING TECHNOLOGY YIELDS PREPREGS WITH MINIMUM FIBER AREAL WEIGHTS (FAW) OF ONLY 90 G/M(2). FOSTER-MILLER'S MFS TECHNOLOGY WILL BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE FAWS OF 30 G/M(2). COMBINING THESE TWO TECHNOLOGIES WILL RESULT IN ULTRATHIN, HIGH-PERFORMANCE THERMOPLASTIC PREPREG, WHICH WILL PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL WEIGHT SAVINGS AND ENHANCED PERFORMANCE IN AEROSPACE APPLICATIONS. THIS PHASE I EFFORT WILL DEMONSTRATE THE SYNERGISTIC PREPREGGING TECHNOLOGIES BY DESIGNING AND FABRICATING A SMALL-SCALE DEMONSTRATION MFS SYSTEM THAT WILL BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH HSP TECHNOLOGY TO PRODUCE HIGH- QUALITY GR/LARC-TPI PREPREG WITH A FAW <35 G/M(2). THIS PREPREG WILL BE MOLDED INTO LAMINATES FOR SEM, TENSILE TESTING, AND SAMPLING TO NASA. HIGH-PERFORMANCE, THERMOPLASTIC (TP) RESINS ARE NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT TO MELT-PREPREG BECAUSE OF THEIR HIGH VISCOSITIES,AND HIGH-MODULUS FIBERS FOR ADVANCED COMPOSITES ARE DIFFICULT TO HANDLE AND MELT-PREPREG. TWO INNOVATIVE PREPREGGING TECHNOLOGIES WILL BE COMBINED WITH ADVANCED FIBER/MATRIX MATERIALS TO FORM PREPREGS THAT PROVIDE SUPERIOR STRUCTURAL EFFICIENCY AND EXCELLENT HIGH-TEMPERATURE PERFORMANCE. THESE SYNERGISTIC TECHNOLOGIES ARE HIGH-SHEAR PREPREGGING (HSP) AND MAXIMAL FIBER SPREADING (MFS). HSP TECHNOLOGY DRAMATICALLY REDUCES TP RESIN VISCOSITIES BY SHEAR-THINNING AND READILY ACCOMPLISHES COMPLETE FIBER IMPREGNATION. CURRENT COMMERCIAL PREPREGGING TECHNOLOGY YIELDS PREPREGS WITH MINIMUM FIBER AREAL WEIGHTS (FAW) OF ONLY 90 G/M(2). FOSTER-MILLER'S MFS TECHNOLOGY WILL BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE FAWS OF 30 G/M(2). COMBINING THESE TWO TECHNOLOGIES WILL RESULT IN ULTRATHIN, HIGH-PERFORMANCE THERMOPLASTIC PREPREG, WHICH WILL PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL WEIGHT SAVINGS AND ENHANCED PERFORMANCE IN AEROSPACE APPLICATIONS. THIS PHASE I EFFORT WILL DEMONSTRATE THE SYNERGISTIC PREPREGGING TECHNOLOGIES BY DESIGNING AND FABRICATING A SMALL-SCALE DEMONSTRATION MFS SYSTEM THAT WILL BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH HSP TECHNOLOGY TO PRODUCE HIGH- QUALITY GR/LARC-TPI PREPREG WITH A FAW <35 G/M(2). THIS PREPREG WILL BE MOLDED INTO LAMINATES FOR SEM, TENSILE TESTING, AND SAMPLING TO NASA.