OUT-OF-OVEN CURING OF POLYMERIC COMPOSITES VIA RESISTIVE MICROHEATERS COMPRISED OF ALIGNED CARBON NANOTUBE NETWORKS

• Main Authors: Lee, Jeonyoon (Contributor), Stein, Itai Y (Contributor), Antunes, Erica F. (Contributor), Wardle, Brian L (Contributor), Kessler, Seth S (Contributor)
• Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics (Contributor), Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering (Contributor), Stein, Itai Y. (Contributor)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: International Committee on Composite Materials (ICCM), 2017-06-20T15:47:27Z.
• Subjects: Article
• Online Access: Get fulltext

 The broader adoption of composite materials in next-generation aerospace architectures is currently limited by the geometrical constraints and high energy costs of traditional manufacturing techniques of PMCs such as autoclave and vacuum-bag-only oven curing techniques. Here, an in situ curing technique for PMCs using a resistive heating film comprised of an aligned carbon nanotube (A-CNT) network is presented. A carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) prepreg system is effectively cured via a single-side CNT network heater incorporated on the outer surface of the laminate without using an autoclave. Evaluation of the curing efficacy shows that composites cured by A-CNT film heaters can achieve degrees of cure that are equivalent or better than composites cured by an autoclave. This manufacturing technique enables highly efficient curing of PMCs while adding multifunctionality to finished composites.