A multi-pattern compensation method to ensure even temperature in composite materials during microwave curing process. (April 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhou, Jing; Li, Yingguang; Li, Nanya; Liu, Shuting; Cheng, Libing; Sui, Shaochun; Gao, James
• Is Part Of: Composites. Volume 107(2018)
• Page Start: 10
• Page End: 20
• Publication Date: 2018-04
• Subjects: A. Polymer-matrix composites (PMCs) -- D. Process monitoring -- E. Out of autoclave processing -- E. Cure; Composite materials -- Periodicals; Manufacturing processes -- Periodicals; Composite materials; Manufacturing processes; Periodicals; 620.11805
• DOI: 10.1016/j.compositesa.2017.12.017
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1359-835X

Abstract

Abstract: Microwave curing technologies have many advantages in manufacturing fiber reinforced polymer composite materials used in aerospace products, compared with traditional autoclave curing technologies. However, the uneven electromagnetic field of microwave in the cavity of the curing chamber results in uneven temperature on the surface of composite laminates during curing, which has been a major obstacle in industrial applications worldwide. Existing methods attempted to solve the problem by the random superposition of uneven electromagnetic fields, but the results were still not satisfactory to meet the high quality requirements of aerospace parts. This paper reveals the one-to-one correspondence between heating patterns of composite parts and microwave curing system settings, and reports a new concept to solve this problem by continuously monitoring and compensating the uneven temperature distribution in real-time. Experimental results from both fiber optical fluorescence sensors and infrared thermal imagers showed significant improvement in temperature uniformity compared with existing methods.