High Performance E-Beam Curable Resins for Affordable Polymer Matrix RTM/Automated Tape Layup Composite Primary Airframe Structures

Currently available rad curable resins such as acrylates are inhibited by oxygen in ambient air, lack thermal stability and have poor fracture toughness. Recent Rad curable BMIs and epoxies suffer from voids due to lack of processability. Aeroplas Corporation International (ACI) proposes to demonstrate and further develop their line of atomic oxygen resistant (AOR) E-Beam curable composite resins developed for NASA-LaRC for use by the new ARPA Lockheed Martin Skunk Works (LMSW) - Integrated Airframe Technology for Affordability (IATA) team which is using a new highly penetrating, 10 MeV E-beam rapid curing technique. This series of AOR and proposed low cost resins are expected to exhibit outstanding processability and are available in either low or up to (solid) viscosities. After predictable reformulation work they are suitable for such composite manufacturing technologies as resin transfer molding, wet lay-up, pultrusion and thick (solid) versions that are suitable for constant-tack automated prepreg tape/tow lay-up. The ACI team is an assembly of top experts in fields of Radiation Polymer Chemistry, E-Beam composite processing, Health Physics and Environmental Effects and Mechanical Testing. ACI will formulate lower cost, high Tg, tough, highly processable rapid cure resins and test these neat resins and graphite-composite panels until the resin formuation(s) meet all requirements of the ARPA (IATA) team's LMSW General Material Specification. Anticipated Benefits: The proposed process is cost-effective (does away with the costs associated with oven curing or autoclaving); rapid (minutes versus hours); environmentally friendly; is a low, ambient temperature process (for less molded in thermal stresses); is less expensive and less complicated; is amenable to scale up. The impact of the proposed concept is tremendous. The proposed technology will find immediate application in Infrastructural Pultrasion, Automotive, Aerospace and other industries.