Through Thickness Thermal Gradients in Thick Laminates During Cure, Influence on Tg and Modulus

Updike, Benjamin ; Miller, Sandi

关键词: TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS;    THICKNESS;    LAMINATES;    FIBER COMPOSITES;    CARBON FIBERS;    MECHANICAL PROPERTIES;    MODULUS OF ELASTICITY;    NONUNIFORMITY;    POLYMERIZATION;    RESIDUAL STRESS;    CROSSLINKING;   

RP-ID  :  GRC-E-DAA-TN59121

学科分类：复合材料

美国|英语

来源: NASA Technical Reports Server

【 摘 要 】

Carbon fiber composites are materials of great interest to the aerospace industry because of their light weight and high strength properties. Composite use in high load bearing applications such as roto-craft gearing requires manufacturing parts that are 1.5 inches thick and beyond. Very thick composite parts (laminates) produce thermal gradients and temperature spikes due to the heat released by resin polymerization and cross-linking during composite cure. It is believed that these thermal gradients will cause internal stresses to build-up inside these ultra-thick laminates during the cure-cycle, yielding parts with non-uniform mechanical properties throughout the thickness of the laminate. The goal of this study is to identify these thermal gradients and determine the magnitude of difference in mechanical properties generated by them.