AIM

Sandwich structures (aka sandwich panels) find themselves in a wide variety of applications. Properties such light weight, high stiffness and energy absorption are some of their more notable qualities. This webinar is an introduction to the materials and manufacturing processes of sandwich structures. Elements such as core, face sheets, and adhesives used to produce sandwich ... Read more

Many of our previous webinars have introduced knowledge, theories, and background information on composite materials. How do we put these into practice and use them to make engineering decisions to obtain our desired outcome? In this webinar we will take a thorough look at a case study on the optimization of a thermoset prepreg press ... Read more

When fabricating a composite structure, subcomponents need to be assembled. For conventional thermoset composites, this is done using adhesive bonding or mechanical fastening. In the case of thermoplastic composites, welding, also called fusion bonding, can be used as a joining method. Welding offers several advantages over the other joining methods as it is a fast ... Read more

Thermoplastic composites offer several advantages over the more conventional thermoset matrix composites such as better toughness and impact resistance, unlimited shelf life, good solvent resistance, potential for low processing time and recyclability. However, thermoplastic composites also present a number of challenges like higher processing costs caused by their processing conditions. This webinar serves as an ... Read more

Heat transfer during composites processing is an important mechanism to understand as it greatly influences the thermal history and in turn outcome (material properties) of a composite part. It is important to understand that the temperature setting on the equipment is not necessarily the temperature that the part sees. In this webinar we will look ... Read more

The motivation to achieve a ‘proper cure’ seems obvious/intuitive but what really happens if we don’t cure a thermoset composite properly? How does the degree of cure affect the mechanical properties of the material? How does the degree of cure affect the material’s ability to stand up to ‘hot’ conditions and/or ‘wet’ conditions? In the ... Read more

The motivation to achieve a ‘proper cure’ seems obvious or intuitive but what really happens if we don’t cure a thermoset composite properly? How does the degree of cure affect the mechanical properties of the material? How does the degree of cure affect the material’s ability to stand up to ‘hot’ conditions and/or ‘wet’ conditions? ... Read more

One unique benefit that composite materials have is the ability to be formed into complex geometries that other materials struggle with. Forming fabric into these geometries is key to producing these geometries. If the wrong fabric is used for a particular geometry and/or process it can lead to defects, such as severe fibre distortion, porosity, ... Read more

Selecting the form of fibre, often referred to as the fibre architecture is a critical decision during the development process. Fibre architecture has a significant effect on cost, processability, defect generation, design/geometry limitations, damage tolerance, and other outcomes of a composite part. Individual fibres are grouped into bundles of thousands of fibres called tows. These ... Read more

Controlling the curing parameters of resin, often referred to as thermal management, has a significant effect on the outcome of a thermoset polyester resin and therefore the overall performance of a composite part. Allowing polyester resin to cure under ambient conditions is the most common technique used in industry. One major drawback of this technique, ... Read more

A fundamental concept in materials science is that process history leads to microstructure evolution, which in turn determines mechanical and functional properties. For composite components, where the material is transformed at the same time as the component is created, the local process history is a function of the whole processing system which includes material(s), part ... Read more

This webinar will discuss the key manufacturing properties of thermoset resins such as viscosity, gelation, glass transition temperature, and degree of cure.