Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7891107 | Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing | 2016 | 33 Pages |
Abstract
We report a method to monitor the manufacturing process of hierarchical micro-/nano-composites that uses integrated and percolated multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) networks with the aim of reducing part-to-part variability. Composites were fabricated by VARTM. Fiber textiles were spray-coated with MWCNTs, electrodes were embedded prior to vacuum bagging. In situ process monitoring was achieved by measurement of the electrical resistance of electrode pairs. The effects of MWCNT density and length on the ability to monitor the manufacturing process were evaluated. Experiments showed that monitoring the changes in resistance between electrode pairs on the conductive MWCNT network allowed various events during the manufacturing process, including part infusion, onset of crosslinking, and gel point of the resin, which are necessary for accurate evaluation of part quality. Our simple yet effective method to monitor the manufacturing processes and predict the final-part quality of multiscale composites can be integrated into existing processes with minimal modifications.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Materials Science
Ceramics and Composites
Authors
Joel Renaud Ngouanom Gnidakouong, Hyung Doh Roh, Joo-Hyung Kim, Young-Bin Park,