Parametric studies of vbo-oven cure process on the bonding quality of sandwich panel
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Date
2015-06-01
Authors
Nor Fadilah Shamsudin
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Abstract
A strong desire to reduce manufacturing costs in the aerospace industry has created the potential to manufacture composites with OOA (out-of-autoclave) vacuum pressure only-oven curing process. However such process that is coupled with OOA prepreg materials caused monotony in the overall production cost as the material is expensive. As a step towards cost optimum of sandwich structures manufacturing, this research focuses on the effects of OOA-oven curing process with existing conventional autoclave prepreg material. Four OOA-oven cure processing parameters were investigated; debulking, edge breather, non-perforated (solid and PTFE release film) and perforated release film. The experiment was planned using two levels, full factorial Design of Experiments. Prior to curing, an ICP (internal core pressure) test was conducted to investigate the relation between standard industrial debulking with ICP. Once cured the panels quality was analysed in terms of their RML (resin mass loss) after cure, resin fillet formation quantity (area) and quality (void), and finally their skin-core interfacial strength was analysed using tensile test. All of the obtained results were then analysed using statistical analysis of Variance. Primarily, it was observed from the test results that resin fillet area formation had the most prominent effect on the panel interfacial bonding strength. As the fillet area increased, more energy was absorbed during fracture thus yield a higher interfacial tensile strength. Consecutively, resin fillet area formation was influenced by the RML during curing. Subsequently it was identified that edge breather and non-perforated release film are the two processing parameters that contributed to both optimum RML and resin fillet area formation.