Title: Investigation of Adhesive Joints for Printed Autoclave Modular Tooling

Authors: Jacob Montrose, Garam Kim, Eduardo Barocio

DOI: 10.33599/nasampe/s.24.0064

Abstract: Adoption of the Large-Scale Additive Manufacturing (LSAM) is increasing rapidly in the composites tooling industry. Additionally, this technology enables modular tool fabrication, wherein a tool can be constructed from multiple individual printed tool sections. Hence, joining technologies are of paramount importance for the successful implementation of modular tool fabrication. Among various methods of joining, adhesives are commonly used due to their simple application process and their ability to maintain vacuum across joints. Curing cycles in traditional composite part manufacturing processes involve temperatures of up to 180 °C, which could compromise the structural integrity of adhesive used in modular tools. More specifically, a mismatch in the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) between the base substrate and the adhesive as well as thermal degradation of the adhesive can lead to the failure of the adhesive joint. This can result not only in a penalty to the structural integrity of the tool but also introduce air paths that will compromise the vacuum integrity of the tool. Therefore, this work investigates the influence of the thermal cycles on the adhesive joints of 3D printed composites. To quantify the changes in the adhesive joint, the mode I interlaminar fracture toughness was measured through the double cantilever beam (DCB) fracture test. Polyethersulfone (PESU) reinforced with 25 % by weight of carbon fiber was 3D printed to fabricate the test specimens. These specimens were adhesively bonded with including epoxy adhesive. The fracture toughness of the adhesive joint was characterized before and after thermal cycling. Specifically, after each cycle and for a total of five thermal cycles.

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Conference: SAMPE 2024

Publication Date: 2024/05/20

SKU: TP24-0000000064

Pages: 14

Price: $28.00