Designing Net-Shaped Molds to Manufacture Fiber Composite Laminates With Defined Thickness Variation
Open Access
- Author:
- Karan, Adam
- Area of Honors:
- Engineering Science
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Charles E Bakis, Thesis Supervisor
Charles E Bakis, Thesis Honors Advisor
Melik C Demirel, Faculty Reader - Keywords:
- Composite Materials
Manufacturing
3D-Printing
Acoustic Black Holes - Abstract:
- Acoustic Black Holes (ABH) absorb sound waves using specific geometries that demonstrate power curves and are currently being investigated in many research labs. To continue progressing toward everyday use, more practical methods of manufacturing parts with defined thickness variations must be found. For applications involving aircraft and eliminating sound within pilot cabins, materials must be used that are not only strong but also lightweight. For this reason, composite laminates are often the best choice among aircraft applications. This thesis project aims to construct net-shaped molds to manufacture continuous fiber composite laminates with designed thickness variations, and to better understand possible opportunities for producing laminates using different composite manufacturing techniques. This project examines five manufacturing setups utilizing hand layup and vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM). Setups include using a premade caul, constructing a 3D-printed open and closed mold, clamping L-channels together with a small mold, and attempting VARTM techniques using foam molds. This thesis distinguished overarching issues such as the need to simultaneously apply pressure in the vertical and horizontal direction, the extensive manual labor necessary to produce laminates with complex geometries using these manufacturing techniques, and the difficulty in predicting the cured laminate thickness using open-mold systems. Laminate dimensions cured in open-mold systems are difficult to predict and require careful precision in regard to the target cured laminate thickness, the balance of the molds used in the manufacturing process, and the layout of the materials while curing the laminate. In the end, it was determined that to best produce the target thickness profiles using open-molds, VARTM techniques with molds that shaped wide and less steep tapers along the flange should be used.