1. Composite Materials Bill Pedersen

2. Components of Polymer Composites • Polymer Resin • Usually a thermoset • Epoxy • Polyester • Vinylester • Thermoplastics - Aerospace • Reinforcing fiber • Fiberglass • E, S, C (E most common) • Graphite (Carbon) • Aramid (Kevlar) • Spectra (PE)

3. Open Molding • Female Mold of part • Made of FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer) • Has steel supports • Gel coated and waxed • To make part: • Gel coat mold • Spray on chop fibers, resin and catalyst • Roll out air • Add stiffeners or layers as desired

4. Vacuum Bagging • Greatly reduced VOC (Volatile Organic Content) (Reduced emissions) • Cover reinforcement with cheap plastic cover • Suck resin into the part to fill the void

5. Making a Kayak

7. Open Molding As shown previously Only one sided mold Limited temperature control Lower capital cost for molds Closed molding – or compression molding Two sided mold – part is sandwiched between two mold halves Pressure applied Improved material properties (fewer voids) Higher Capital cost Open vs. Closed Molding

8. Closed Molding • Can be done using Pre-preg or wet layup • Process: • Resin impregnated fibers cut to proper geometry • Heated Die sets close on part • Part is cured at temperature • Die opens and part is ejected from mold

9. Filament Winding • Control the orientation of the fiber using a relative motion of rotation and linear motion • Example Products: • Pressure Vessels • Fishing Poles • Light Poles • Antennas

10. Pultrusion • Fibers or cloth are pulled through a resin bath • Heated in a die with a shaped profile • Cured to shape • Cut to length

11. Metal Matrix Composites • Completely different field. The book has them in the same chapter, but they are very different. • Combination of metal matrix, with ceramic reinforcement. • Examples: • Titanium with SiC fiber reinforcement • Mg with SiC discontinuous reinforcement