| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2024 ASC Technical Conference, US-Japan Joint Symposium, D30 Meeting
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| Symposium
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2024 ASC Technical Conference, US-Japan Joint Symposium, D30 Meeting
|
| Presentation Title |
Self-Catalysed Frontal Polymerisation Enables Fast & Energy-Efficient Composite Manufacturing |
| Author(s) |
Jeroen Staal, Veronique Michaud |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Jeroen Staal |
| Abstract Scope |
Frontal polymerisation is emerging as a promising out-of-autoclave processing strategy, allowing for the production of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites in a fraction of curing times encountered with conventional composite processing techniques, while also reducing environmental and economical impacts. Driven by an autocatalytic mechanism, frontal polymerisation is based on the formation of a distinct front between hot (> 200°C) formed polymer and cold monomer resin, that subsequently progresses through an impregnated resin-textile system as long as a threshold activation energy is exceeded. The latter requires strict control over the local heat balance and the use of frontal polymerisation for composite manufacturing is hindered by the extensive heat uptake by fibrous reinforcements. We have previously reported that the maximum fibre volume fraction (Vf) that can be sustained by an epoxide system is limited to 45.8% and thus well-below the >55% sought for in industry.
Prior studies proposed strategies to overcome this limit such as pre-heating of the system or relying on the application or integration of resistive heaters, but these add to the energy input to the process and reduce its characteristics versatility. During the talk, we will introduce our novel self-catalysed processing method that can produce FRPs with Vfs up to 60% without the need for a continuous external energy input, reducing the overall energy demand by >99.5%. A brief description of the process will be followed by an overview of strategies that allow for enhanced process control and is concluded by a comparative overview of the FRP properties.
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| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Definite: Post-meeting proceedings |