Cure Kinetics-Driven Compression Molding of CFRP for Fast and Low-Cost Manufacturing.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Aerospace Engineering

Background:

• Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites are crucial in aerospace, but their performance is highly dependent on the curing cycle.
• Current manufacturer-recommended curing cycles (MRCC) are often inefficient, leading to long processing times and high energy usage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an efficient and adaptable method for determining optimal CFRP curing cycles.
• To reduce energy consumption and cycle time without compromising material properties.

Main Methods:

• Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and rheological measurements were used to analyze resin dynamic and exothermic behavior under varying heating rates.
• Reaction kinetics were analyzed, and the modified Sun-Gang model was employed with a particle swarm optimization algorithm to estimate parameters.
• CFRP compression molding experiments were conducted based on curing kinetic data, using a weighted scoring system for evaluation.

Main Results:

• The optimized curing cycle significantly improved production efficiency by 247.22%.
• Energy consumption was reduced by 35.7% compared to conventional methods.
• The optimized process met general product performance requirements.

Conclusions:

• The proposed method provides a reliable approach to optimize CFRP curing cycles.
• This optimization leads to substantial improvements in manufacturing efficiency and energy savings.
• The findings are significant for advancing sustainable and cost-effective composite manufacturing in the aerospace industry.