SBIR Phase I: Thermal Intensification for Continuous Thermoplastic Composite Forming

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力与复合材料制造相关的历史挑战有关，包括周期长、可回收性差、劳动密集型制造和能源密集型固化过程。热塑性复合材料具有缩短循环时间、减少劳动力需求和提高可回收性的潜力；然而，传统的热塑性工艺是能源密集型的。第一阶段SBIR正在寻求新的、更有效的工艺加热方法，可以集成到连续复合材料制造过程中，以提高生产速度并降低运营成本，使复合材料在需要大批量、低成本结构部件的重量敏感行业的增长，包括汽车、无人驾驶飞机、风力涡轮机和货物运输。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将确定超声波加热和感应加热在连续复合材料成形过程中替代红外加热的技术可行性。过程加热在制造过程中直接消耗的能量中占很大一部分。在纤维增强热塑性复合材料的生产中尤其如此，其中聚合物基体必须熔化作为固结过程的一部分。作为第一期项目的一部分，将开发用于感应加热、超声波加热和红外加热的加热器模块，并将其集成到一个实验规模的连续复合成形原型中。使用每种加热方法生产复合材料，并在成形过程中监测能耗。测试过程中产生的复合材料将被称重，并通过将消耗的总能量除以材料的质量来计算隐含能量。这项工作的目的是确定一种加热方法，可以减少至少40%的隐含能量，相对于红外加热系统。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project relates to the historic challenges associated with composite manufacturing, including long cycle times, poor recyclability, labor-intensive manufacturing, and energy-intensive curing processes. Thermoplastic composites have the potential to reduce cycle time, reduce labor requirements, and improve recyclability; however, traditional thermoplastic processes are energy intensive. This Phase 1 SBIR is seeking new, more efficient process heating methods that can be integrated into a continuous composite manufacturing process to improve production speed and reduce operating costs, enabling the growth of composite materials in weight sensitive industries that require high-volume, low-cost structural components, including automotive, unmanned aircraft, wind turbines, and cargo transportation.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will determine the technical feasibility of ultrasonic heating and induction heating as an alternative to infrared heating in a continuous composite forming process. Process heating constitutes a significant portion of the direct energy consumed by in manufacturing. This is particularly true in the production of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites, where the polymer matrix must be melted as part of the consolidation process. As part of this Phase 1 project, heater modules for induction heating, ultrasonic heating, and infrared heating will be developed and integrated into a bench-scale, continuous composite forming prototype. Composite material will be produced using each heating method and energy consumption will be monitored during the forming process. The composite material produced during testing will be weighed and embodied energy will be calculated by dividing the total energy consumed by the mass of the material. The objective of this work is to identify a heating method that can reduce embodied energy by at least 40%, relative to the infrared heating system.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.