Experimental and Analytical Studies on the Solvent Volatilization Behavior of Carbon Fiber/Phenylethynyl Terminated Polyimide Prepreg During Molding

摘要

Phenylethynyl terminated polyimide “TriA-X” developed in Japan AerospaceExploration Agency (JAXA) exhibits excellent mechanical properties with highglass transition temperature (> 350°C), therefore it is suitable as matrix resin ofhigh temperature composites. Carbon fiber (CF)/TriA-X prepreg includes about 10wt.% of NMP (N-methyl-2- pyrrolidone) as solvent. The solvent must be volatilizedto make high quality laminates, however experimental and numerical researchesregarding the solvent evaporation behavior have not been reported. This studyexamined the solvent volatilization behavior experimentally. As a result, theanisotropic solvent diffusion behavior was observed. The experimental resultsuggested the breather cloth around the laminated prepreg affects the solventvolatilization behavior. By considering the solvent diffusion in the laminatedprepreg and breather cloth based on Fick’s law, the solvent volatilization behaviorwas successfully simulated. The numerical results showed good agreement with theexperimental results. It was confirmed that the simulation methodology is effectiveto determine the adequate temperature profile for solvent volatilization process.