Microwave Curing Process Modeling for Continuous Carbon Fiber Reinforced Thermoset Composites

The NAVY seeks microwave curing process modeling and technology demonstration for cost-effective fabrication of continuous carbon fiber-reinforced thermoset composites with reduced cure time and energy consumption. Despite the relatively extensive research work done for microwave curing of polymer composites, the technology extension for the fabrication of continuous carbon fiber-reinforced thermoset composites (CFRTCs) is challenging to retain uniform temperature during the curing and to eliminate the local heat source-induced damage in the cured thick composite parts. To tailor performance and reduce defects such as voids and distortion in microwave-cured composite parts, Global Engineering and Materials, Inc. and collaborators propose to develop a smart microwave system (SMS) by integrating the multi-physics based model to simulate the microwave curing process with the collected in-situ sensor data from a novel multi-source hexagonal-shaped microwave system. The key components to be developed for SMS include 1) a multi-physics based process simulation model to capture the coupling of electromagnetic/thermal/chemical/mechanical interactions; 2) a digital material model to determine the process-dependent dielectric properties of the composite; and 3) a digital twin framework for the integration of physics-based models, data-driven models, and machine-learning reduced-order models for the process tailoring. Technology demonstration will be performed using the SMS-driven multi-source microwave system to fabricate thick composites at coupon and component levels. A comparative study will be performed for the composite parts made by the autoclave and the multi-source microwave without and with the use of SMS based on tensile, open hole compression, compression after impact tests, and non-destructive inspections to demonstrate the performance and benefits of using the process tailoring of the microwave curing process.