Low-energy electron beam cured tape placement for out-of-autoclave fabrication of advanced polymer composites

The autoclave curing process for advanced polymer composites is labor and capital intensive, with the curing cost increasing dramatically by the growth in part size. In order to develop an out-of-autoclave (OOA) fabrication process for advanced polymer composites, a new process integrating automated tape placement with low-energy electron beam radiation curing was explored, by which in situ layer-wise curing of advanced composites can be achieved with the tape placement process. The irradiation process was optimized to get a homogenous curing, by tuning the electron beam dose-depth distribution in the prepreg material. Besides, the curing characteristics of the prepreg material by the low-energy electron beam irradiation was investigated and effect of exposure dose and post curing on curing degree, glass transition temperature (Tg) and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) were characterized experimentally.