Title: Manufacturing of Transparent Glass Fiber Reinforced Composites Using Light Resin Transfer Molding Techniques with a Flexible Polycarbonate Tooling Concept
Authors: "Johannes Bauer, Klaus Heudorfer, Yavuz Caydamli, Michael R. Buchmeiser, Peter Middendorf"
DOI: 10.33599/nasampe/c.24.0250
Abstract: Recently, substantial progress in the manufacturing of transparent glass fiber-reinforced composites (tGFRP) using resin transfer molding (RTM) or related techniques has been reported [1–3]. Achieving a sufficient match of the refractive indices of the fibers and the polymer [2, 4], along with ensuring a high-quality surface finish of the tooling [2] and minimizing voids [2] within the composite material, can result in exceptional optical characteristics. Therefore, such materials might be used for applications such as lightweight safety glass or canopies for aircraft [5, 6]. To further develop the tGFRP potential, this study investigates its production using a flexible polycarbonate (PC) tooling concept. Flat and curved transparent specimens with excellent surface quality are produced by using this low-cost tooling approach. Furthermore, optical properties in the visible spectrum are discussed. Finally, the mechanical properties of the tGFRP are presented to compare them to previously RTM-manufactured specimens [2]. This study shows that it is feasible to produce a tGFRP specimen with a low-cost polycarbonate light-RTM (L-RTM) setup. The optical measurements show an outstanding average peak transmission of 77,4 % around the wavelength region of 694,0 nm. The mechanical properties are comparable to a previous publication [2] where RTM techniques were used for sample manufacturing.
References: [1] CAYDAMLI, Y., K. HEUDORFER, J. TAKE, F. PODJASKI, P. MIDDENDORF and M.R. BUCHMEISER. Transparent Fiber-Reinforced Composites Based on a Thermoset Resin Using Liquid Composite Molding (LCM) Techniques [online]. Materials (Basel, Switzerland), 2021, 14(20). ISSN 1996-1944. doi:10.3390/ma14206087 [2] HEUDORFER, K., J. BAUER, Y. CAYDAMLI, B. GOMPF, J. TAKE, M.R. BUCHMEISER and P. MIDDENDORF. Method of Manufacturing Structural, Optically Transparent Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (tGFRP) Using Infusion Techniques with Epoxy Resin Systems and E-Glass Fabrics [online]. Polymers, 2023, 15(9). doi:10.3390/polym15092183 [3] BAUER, J., K. HEUDORFER, Y. CAYDAMLI, B. GOMPF, M.R. BUCHMEISER and P. MIDDENDORF. A Method to Manufacture Transparent Composites by Optimizing Refractive Index Match of Fiber and Polymer. In Proceedings of the 28. Stuttgarter Kunststoffkolloquium Stuttgart, Germany, 28. February 2023. [4] ZOBEIRY, N., A. LEE and C. MOBUCHON. Fabrication of transparent advanced composites [online]. Composites Science and Technology, 2020, 197, 108281. ISSN 02663538. doi:10.1016/j.compscitech.2020.108281 [5] Optically Transparent Composite Material and Process for Preaparing Same. Inventor: Day et al. United States Patent 5,665,450. [6] VELEZ, M., W.R. BRAISTED, G.J. FRANK, P.L. PHILLIPS, de DAY and M.D. MCLAUGHLIN. Impact strength of optically transparent glass ribbon composites [online]. Journal of Composite Materials, 2012, 46(14), 1677-1695. ISSN 0021-9983. doi:10.1177/0021998311422601 [7] VELEZ, M., T.P. SCHUMAN and de DAY. Optical properties of optically transparent glass-ribbon composites [online]. Journal of Composite Materials, 2014, 48(30), 3747-3754. ISSN 0021-9983. doi:10.1177/0021998313513204 [8] KRUG III, D.J., M.Z. ASUNCION, V. POPOVA and R.M. LAINE. Transparent fiber glass reinforced composites [online]. Composites Science and Technology, 2013, 77, 95-100. ISSN 02663538. doi:10.1016/j.compscitech.2012.12.010 [9] H. IBA, T. CHANG and Y. KAGAWA. Optically transparent continuous glass fibre-reinforced epoxy matrix composite: fabrication, optical and mechanical properties. Composites Science and Technology, 2002, (62). ISSN 02663538. [10] KIM, D.-K., Y.H. CHOI, K.-W. KIM and B.-J. KIM. Transparent glass-fiber-reinforced epoxy composites and their optical characteristics [online]. Composites Science and Technology, 2023, 232, 109848. ISSN 02663538. doi:10.1016/j.compscitech.2022.109848 [11] YANG, Y., Y. LAI, S. ZHAO, H. CHEN, R. LI and Y. WANG. Optically transparent and high-strength glass-fabric reinforced composite [online]. Composites Science and Technology, 2024, 245, 110338. ISSN 02663538. doi:10.1016/j.compscitech.2023.110338 [12] Transparent Composite Material. Inventor: Skubic et al. United States Patent 5,039,566. [13] MEINDERS, R., D. MURPHY, G. TAYLOR, K. CHANDRASHEKHARA and T. SCHUMAN. Development of fiber-reinforced transparent composites [online]. Polymers and Polymer Composites, 2021, 29(9_suppl), S826-S834. ISSN 0967-3911. doi:10.1177/09673911211023031 [14] PASCUAL, C., J. de CASTRO, A. KOSTRO, A. SCHUELER, A.P. VASSILOPOULOS and T. KELLER. Diffuse light transmittance of glass fiber-reinforced polymer laminates for multifunctional load-bearing structures [online]. Journal of Composite Materials, 2014, 48(29), 3621-3636. ISSN 0021-9983. doi:10.1177/0021998313511655 [15] MENTA, V.G.K., R.R. VUPPALAPATI, K. CHANDRASHEKHARA and T. SCHUMAN. Manufacturing of Transparent Composites Using Vacuum Infusion Process [online]. Polymers and Polymer Composites, 2014, 22(9), 843-850. ISSN 0967-3911. doi:10.1177/096739111402200912 [16] OLSON, J.R. Fabrication and mechanical property analysis of a transparent, glass fiber reinforced polymer matrix composite. [17] JANG, J., H.-G. IM, D. LIM and B.-S. BAE. Preparation of high-performance transparent glass-fiber reinforced composites based on refractive index-tunable epoxy-functionalized siloxane hybrid matrix [online]. Composites Science and Technology, 2021, 201, 108527. ISSN 02663538. doi:10.1016/j.compscitech.2020.108527 [18] HIRAI, T., Y. MURAOKA and H. OKAMOTO. Strong, transparent composites based on glass‐fiber textile and a polycarbonate–polycaprolactone blend with matching refractive indices [online]. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 2022. doi:10.1002/app.52925 [19] SCHÜRMANN, H. Konstruieren mit Faser-Kunststoff-Verbunden. 2., bearb. u. erw. Aufl. 2007. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2007. VDI-Buch. ISBN 9783540721901. [20] DIN Deutsches Institut für Normung e. V., DIN EN ISO 14125. Berlin: Beuth.
Conference: CAMX 2024 | San Diego CA
Publication Date: 2024/9/9
SKU: TP24-0000000250
Pages: 11
Price: $22.00
Get This Paper