An Investigation of CFRP Laminates Cured in a Commercial Toaster Oven: Quality and Economic Assessment
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study demonstrated the ability to produce high-quality carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminates with low void contents using a single cure cycle setting up in commercial toaster oven via Vacuum-Bag-Only (VBO) process. The results were discussed in quality and economic views. X-ray micro-CT 3D images of the resulting laminates revealed the 0.28% void content; therefore, it can be classified as very good quality by Purslow chart. Tensile (ASTM D3039) and flexural (ASTM D790) tests were conducted and the results were compared to void-free laminate considered in finite element analysis. The high tensile and flexural strength of laminates were 451.02 MPa and 767.61 MPa, respectively, which were only 12.12% less than simulation results. The cost analysis was conducted to investigate the breakeven point of commercial toaster oven, autoclave and industrial thermal oven for curing CFRP. The results disclosed that the autoclave contributed the highest oven cost and electricity cost. The breakeven point of commercial toaster oven was 54,000 pieces of similar size of CFRP laminate curing by industrial thermal oven. This suggested that commercial toaster oven was economical choice for moderate production capacity and small working place.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Article Accepting Policy
The editorial board of Thai-Nichi Institute of Technology is pleased to receive articles from lecturers and experts in the fields of business administration, languages, engineering and technology written in Thai or English. The academic work submitted for publication must not be published in any other publication before and must not be under consideration of other journal submissions. Therefore, those interested in participating in the dissemination of work and knowledge can submit their article to the editorial board for further submission to the screening committee to consider publishing in the journal. The articles that can be published include solely research articles. Interested persons can prepare their articles by reviewing recommendations for article authors.
Copyright infringement is solely the responsibility of the author(s) of the article. Articles that have been published must be screened and reviewed for quality from qualified experts approved by the editorial board.
The text that appears within each article published in this research journal is a personal opinion of each author, nothing related to Thai-Nichi Institute of Technology, and other faculty members in the institution in any way. Responsibilities and accuracy for the content of each article are owned by each author. If there is any mistake, each author will be responsible for his/her own article(s).
The editorial board reserves the right not to bring any content, views or comments of articles in the Journal of Thai-Nichi Institute of Technology to publish before receiving permission from the authorized author(s) in writing. The published work is the copyright of the Journal of Thai-Nichi Institute of Technology.
References
J. T. J. Burd, E. A. Moore, H. Ezzat, R. Kirchain, and R. Roth, “Improvements in electric vehicle battery technology influence vehicle lightweighting and material substitution decisions,” Appl. Energy, vol. 283, Feb. 2021, Art no. 116269, doi: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.116269.
B. Shaffer, M. Auffhammer, and C. Samaras, “Make electric vehicles lighter to maximize climate and safety benefits,” Nature, vol. 598, pp. 254–256, Oct. 2021, doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-02760-8.
T. Ishikawa et al., “Overview of automotive structural composites technology developments in Japan,” Compos. Sci. Technol., vol. 155, pp. 221–246, Feb. 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.compscitech.2017.09.015.
M. R. Bambach, M. Elchalakani, and X. L. Zhao, “Composite steel-CFRP SHS tubes under axial impact,” Compos. Struct., vol. 87, no. 3, pp. 282–292, Feb. 2009, doi: 10.1016/j.compstruct.2008.02.008.
Q. Liu, Y. Lin, Z. Zong, G. Sun, and Q. Li, “Lightweight design of carbon twill weave fabric composite body structure for electric vehicle,” Compos. Struct., vol. 97, pp. 231–238, Mar. 2013, doi: 10.1016/j.compstruct.2012.09.052.
J.-M. Lee, B.-J. Min, J.-H. Park, D.-H. Kim, B.-M. Kim, and D.-C. Ko, “Design of lightweight CFRP automotive part as an alternative for steel part by thickness and lay-up optimization,” Materials, vol. 12, no. 14, Jul. 2019, Art. no. 2309, doi: 10.3390/ma12142309.
J. Hu, X. Deng, X. Zhang, W. X. Wang, and T. Matsubara, “Effect of off-axis ply on tensile properties of [0/θ]ns thin ply laminates by experiments and numerical method,” Polymers, vol. 13, no. 11, May 2021, Art. no. 1809, doi: 10.3390/polym13111809.
M. Kawai and T. Taniguchi, “Off-axis fatigue behavior of plain weave carbon/epoxy fabric laminates at room and high temperatures and its mechanical modeling,” Compos. Part A: Appl. Sci. Manuf., vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 243–256, Feb. 2006, doi: 10.1016/j.compositesa.2005.07.003.
S. Y. Park, C. H. Choi, W. J. Choi, and S. S. Hwang, “A comparison of the properties of carbon fiber epoxy composites produced by non-autoclave with vacuum bag only prepreg and autoclave process,” Appl. Compos. Mater., vol. 26, pp. 187–204, Feb. 2019, doi: 10.1007/s10443-018-9688-y.
D. Saenz-Castillo, M. I. Martín, S. Calvo, F. Rodriguez-Lence, and A. Güemes, “Effect of processing parameters and void content on mechanical properties and NDI of thermoplastic composites,” Compos. Part A: Appl. Sci. Manuf., vol. 121, pp. 308–320, Jun. 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.compositesa.2019.03.035.
P. Olivier, J. P. Cottu, and B. Ferret, “Effects of cure cycle pressure and voids on some mechanical properties of carbon/epoxy laminates,” Composites, vol. 26, no. 7, pp. 509–515, Jul. 1995, doi: 10.1016/0010-4361(95)96808-J.
M. Bodaghi, C. Cristóvão, R. Gomes, and N. C. Correia, “Experimental characterization of voids in high fibre volume fraction composites processed by high injection pressure RTM,” Compos. Part A: Appl. Sci. Manuf., vol. 82, pp. 88–99, Mar. 2016, doi: 10.1016/j.compositesa.2015.11.042.
L. Liu, B. M. Zhang, D. F. Wang, and Z. J. Wu, “Effects of cure cycles on void content and mechanical properties of composite laminates,” Compos. Struct., vol. 73, no. 3, pp. 303–309, Jun. 2006, doi: 10.1016/j.compstruct.2005.02.001.
K. S. Madhok, “Comparative characterization of out-of-autoclave materials made by automated fiber placement and hand-lay-up processes,” M.S. thesis, Dept. Mech. Ind. Eng., Concordia Univ., Montreal, Cananda, 2013. [Online]. Available: http://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/978552/1/Madhok_MASc_S2014.pdf
T. Centea and S. R. Nutt, “Manufacturing cost relationships for vacuum bag-only prepreg processing,” J. Compos. Mater., vol. 50, no. 17, pp. 2305–2321, 2015, doi: 10.1177/0021998315602949.
R. A. Witik, F. Gaille, R. Teuscher, H. Ringwald, V. Michaud, and J.-A. E. Månson, “Economic and environmental assessment of alternative production methods for composite aircraft components,” J. Cleaner Prod., vol. 29–30, pp. 91–102, Jul. 2012, doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.02.028.
Matrix TDS–Technical Data Sheet DT806 Resins, Delta-Tech., Lucca, Italy, 2014.
J. Galos, “Microwave processing of carbon fibre polymer composites: a review,” Polym. Polym. Compos., vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 151–162, 2021, doi: 10.1177/0967391120903894.
H. Koushyar, S. Alavi-Soltani, B. Minaie, and M. Violette, “Effects of variation in autoclave pressure, temperature, and vacuum-application time on porosity and mechanical properties of a carbon fiber/epoxy composite,” J. Compos. Mater., vol. 46, no. 16, pp. 1985–2004, 2011, doi: 10.1177/0021998311429618.
Y. Alekajbaf, S. Murali, and D. Dancila, “Energy efficient microwave curing of carbon fiber reinforced polymer via metamaterial matching and advanced electromagnetic exposure control,” Int. J. Microw. Wireless Technol., pp.1–7, 2024, doi: 10.1017/S1759078724000072.
M. Kwak, P. Robinson, A. Bismarck, and R. Wise, “Microwave curing of carbon–epoxy composites: Penetration depth and material characterisation,” Compos. Part A: Appl. Sci. Manuf., vol. 75, pp. 18–27, Aug. 2015, doi: 10.1016/j.compositesa.2015.04.007.
K. B. Katnam, A. J. Comer, D. Roy, L. F. M. da Silva, and T. M. Young, “Composite repair in wind turbine blades: An overview,” J. Adhes., vol. 91, no. 1–2, pp. 113–139, 2015, doi: 10.1080/00218464.2014.900449.
D. B. Bender, T. Centea, and S. Nutt, “Fast cure of stable semi-pregs via VBO cure,” Adv. Manuf. Polym. Compos. Sci., vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 245–255, 2020, doi: 10.1080/20550340.2020.1869891.
Y. Li, N. Li, J. Zhou, and Q. Cheng, “Microwave curing of multidirectional carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites,” Compos. Struct., vol. 212, pp. 83–93, Mar. 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.compstruct.2019.01.027.
T-H. Hou. Cure cycle design methodology for fabricating reactive resin matrix fiber reinforced composites: - A protocol for producing void-free quality laminates. (2014). [Online]. Available: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20140012782/downloads/20140012782.pdf
M. Mehdikhani, L. Gorbatikh, I. Verpoest, and S. V. Lomov, “Voids in fiber-reinforced polymer composites: A review on their formation, characteristics, and effects on mechanical performance,” J. Compos. Mater., vol. 53, no. 12, pp. 1579–1669, 2018, doi: 10.1177/0021998318772152.
A. R. Chambers, J. S. Earl, C. A. Squires, and M. A. Suhot, “The effect of voids on the flexural fatigue performance of unidirectional carbon fibre composites developed for wind turbine applications,” Int. J. Fatigue, vol. 28, no. 10, pp. 1389–1398, Oct. 2006, doi: 10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2006.02.033.
D. Zhang, D. Heider, and J. W. Gillespie, “Determination of void statistics and statistical representative volume elements in carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic prepregs,” J. Thermoplast. Compos. Mater., vol. 30, no. 8, pp. 1103–1119, 2015, doi: 10.1177/0892705715618002.
Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Polymer Matrix Composite Materials, ASTM Standard D3039/D3039M-00, 2002.
Standard Test Methods for Flexural Properties of Unreinforced and Reinforced Plastics and Electrical Insulating Materials, ASTM Standard D790-03, 2002.
“Electricity tariffs (January 2023),” Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA), Bangkok, Thailand, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.pea.co.th/en/electricity-tariffs
D.-K. Hyun, D. Kim, J. H. Shin, B.-E. Lee, D.-H. Shin, and J. H. Kim, “Cure cycle modification for efficient vacuum bag only prepreg process,” J. Compos. Mater., vol. 55, no. 8, pp. 1039–1051, 2021, doi: 10.1177/0021998320963541.
H. Sasahara, T. Kikuma, R. Koyasu, and Y. Yao, “Surface grinding of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) with an internal coolant supplied through grinding wheel,” Precis. Eng., vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 775–782, Oct. 2014, doi: 10.1016/j.precisioneng.2014.04.005.
D. Purslow, “On the optical assessment of the void content in composite materials,” Composites, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 207–210, Jul. 1984, doi: 10.1016/0010-4361(84)90276-3.
T. Centea and P. Hubert, “Measuring the impregnation of an out-of-autoclave prepreg by micro-CT,” Compos. Sci. Technol., vol. 71, no. 5, pp. 593–599, Mar. 2011, doi: 10.1016/j.compscitech.2010.12.009.