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

该小型企业创新研究（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（OOA）外生产出具有优异内外表面的产品。为了确保高质量和可靠性，航空航天复合材料在联合收割机中进行加工，该设备结合了热量和压力。 与高压釜处理相关的资本和劳动力成本以及制造时间是显著的，但对于确保复合材料质量是必要的。 实现高复杂度的几何形状带来了额外的障碍。 在这些情况下使用的当前方法包括少量选择OOA预浸渍部件、使用热塑性囊状物或粘合高压灭菌部件。OOA技术有很大的机会降低材料和劳动力成本，同时还能够实现具有极其复杂的内部和外部几何形状的单件式无缝复合结构，从而允许制造以前无法实现的部件。 二期项目将进一步开发自加压技术，允许任何树脂系统的OOA加工而不会损失质量。第二阶段将扩大操作温度和压力窗口，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一个成熟的成型工艺和几个模具等级与验证的性能。更广泛的影响/商业潜力，该项目是实现一种制造技术，将使复合材料行业形成更复杂的几何形状，并允许整个行业的竞争更大。 通过在空中和陆地车辆中更广泛地使用节能复合材料以及更小的碳废物流，社会将看到好处。 在飞机中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787和空客A350就是这样的两种飞机，它们将复合材料含量提高到50%以上。 该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，该项目将有助于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从事该项目。

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.