SBIR Phase II: Autoclave Equivalent Composites Via In-Situ Pressurization

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目将开发材料和工艺，使任何复合树脂系统都能在高压灭菌器（OOA）外生产，具有良好的内外表面。为了确保高质量和可靠性，航空航天复合材料是在热压结合的高压灭菌器内加工的。与高压灭菌器加工相关的资本和劳动力成本以及制造时间是重要的，但对于确保复合材料质量是必要的。实现高复杂性的几何图形会带来额外的障碍。目前在这些情况下使用的方法包括少量OOA预浸渍部件，使用热塑性气囊或热压灭菌组件的粘合。OOA技术有很大的机会降低材料和人工成本，同时还能实现具有极其复杂的内部和外部几何形状的一体无缝复合结构，从而制造出以前无法实现的零件。二期项目将进一步开发一种自加压技术，该技术允许对任何树脂系统进行OOA加工，而不会造成质量损失。第二阶段将扩大工作温度和压力窗口，改进成型工艺，并表征商业相关预浸渍系统的性能。第二阶段的结果将产生成熟的成形工艺和几个具有验证性能的模具等级。该项目的更广泛的影响和商业潜力是实现了一种制造技术，使复合材料行业能够形成更复杂的几何形状，并在整个行业中进行更大的竞争。通过在空中和陆基车辆中广泛使用节油复合材料以及减少碳废物流，社会将看到效益。在飞机上使用先进的纤维增强复合材料已经成为实现更高性能和更高燃油效率的必要条件。波音的787和空客的A350就是这样两种飞机，它们是推动复合材料重量比超过50%的例子。拟议中的技术将影响新飞机以及其他车辆的设计和制造。从技术上讲，该项目将使人们更好地了解自加压材料及其潜在应用，并提高国内制造能力。最后，亚利桑那大学的本科生将有机会与工业科学家和工程师一起参与该项目。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop materials and processes that enable any composite resin system to be produced Out Of Autoclave (OOA) with excellent inner and outer surfaces. To ensure high quality and reliability, aerospace composites are processed inside autoclaves that combine heat and pressure. The capital and labor costs and manufacturing times associated with autoclave processing are significant but necessary to ensure composite quality. Achieving high-complexity geometries poses additional hurdles. Current methods used in these cases include a small selection of OOA pre-impregnated parts, the use of thermoplastic bladders, or the bonding of autoclaved components. A large opportunity exists for OOA technology to reduce material and labor costs while also enabling one piece, seamless composite structures with extremely complex internal & external geometries, allowing manufacturing of parts which were previously unachievable. The Phase II project will further the development of a self-pressurizing technology that allows OOA processing of any resin system without a loss in quality. The Phase II will expand the operating temperature and pressure window, improve forming processes, and characterize performance on commercially relevant pre-impregnated systems. Phase II results will yield a mature forming process and several tooling grades with verified performance.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is the realization of a manufacturing technology that will enable the composites industry to form more complex geometries and allow greater competition throughout the industry. Society will see benefits through the broader use of fuel-efficient composites in air and land based vehicles and smaller carbon waste streams. The use of advanced fiber reinforced composites in aircraft has become a necessity to achieve higher performance and greater fuel efficiencies. Boeing's 787 and Airbus's A350 are two such aircraft that exemplify the push to increase composite content above 50% by weight. The proposed technology will impact new aircraft as well as the design and manufacture of other vehicles. Technologically, this project will lead to a better understanding of self-pressurizing materials and their potential applications, as well as advance domestic manufacturing capabilities. Finally, undergraduates at the University of Arizona will have an opportunity to work on the project in conjunction with industrial scientists and engineers.