Collinson, M.G., Swait, T.J. orcid.org/0000-0003-3199-7870, Bower, M.P. et al. (2 more authors) (2023) Development and implementation of direct electric cure of plain weave CFRP composites for aerospace. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 172. 107615. ISSN 1359-835X
Abstract
Curing aerospace composites is time-consuming with high energy requirements, particularly when using methods such as autoclaves, ovens and heated presses. This study investigates direct electric cure (DEC), which uses the Joule effect to directly heat carbon fibre composites to their cure temperature. Its benefits include a significant increase in energy efficiency, control over the cure temperature and low void content compared to oven curing. Samples were manufactured with vacuum-assisted resin transfer moulding (VARTM) and prepreg, as well as curing a two-meter-long leading-edge component, to demonstrate and evaluate the curing method at scale. The average void content for VARTM DEC samples was lower by 0.82 % compared to the oven-cured panel, however, the average degree of cure (DoC) decreased by 6.25 %. Normalised energy consumption for the cure was significantly reduced for all DEC cures, with VARTM cures using 99 % less energy than oven-cured components.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 The Authors. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | Composite Curing; Out of Autoclave; Low power curing; VARTM pre-preg; Sustainable curing; Joule heating |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > University of Sheffield Research Centres and Institutes > AMRC with Boeing (Sheffield) The University of Sheffield > Advanced Manufacturing Institute (Sheffield) > AMRC with Boeing (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 19 May 2023 11:18 |
Last Modified: | 16 Jun 2023 15:29 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier BV |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.compositesa.2023.107615 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:199261 |