Out-of-Autoclave (OOA) pre-impregnated composite materials are growing in popularity for the manufacture of composite components, by removing the reliance on expensive autoclave processing. Implementation of OOA processing would yield savings in cost, energy and time. A low cost OOA processing oven was designed and manufactured in-house in a previous project, and some validation was achieved by comparing the mechanical properties of components processed by this machine to those processed in a traditional autoclave, as well as a commercial OOA processing oven.
However, the role of the temperature cycle, dwell period and other parameters on the mechanical properties and void content of the manufactured parts must be investigated. This will enable the further optimisation of the initial OOA processing cycle. Furthermore, comparison of the quality and mechanical properties of parts manufactured by this OOA oven can be compared to those made with the commercial OOA oven, as well as a traditional autoclave.
Undergraduate
As a result of this project, it is expected that a good understanding of the effects of composite material composition and manufacturing process parameters on the resultant properties and performance of the composite products will be developed.
The students will gain knowledge about materials, processing techniques and experimental testing methods. They will learn to (1) plan and conduct an experimental research programme, (2) use different machines and equipment, and (3) understand and interpret experimental results from the viewpoint of a research programme. In addition, interactions with other researchers such as doctoral candidates and research fellows would provide a valuable learning experience.
None
CACM - Strength of Materials Lab (Newmarket 902 Lvl 3, Lab)