PRODUCTION AND REPAIR OF PULTRUDED COMPOSITE SANDWICH PANELS USING UV-AND E-BEAM CURED RESINS

摘要

This paper describes a preliminary investigation of two potential applications for radiation-cured composite resin technology. First, methods for considerably reducing the cost of tooling and simultaneusly increasing line speed for a large-scale pultrusion process were considered. This KCI process is used to make composite sandwich panels up to three meters wide. Systems based on resins activated by either ultraviolet (UV) or electron-beam (E-beam) energy were postulated and compared. A prototype system for pultruding 25 mm X 1.5 mm [0/+45/-45]_s E-glass stitch mat strip was developed and successfully demonstrated using an ultraviolet-light activated vinyl-ester resin. Second, various designs for a kit that could be used to make field-expedient water4ight small-area structural repairs on thin skinned metal or composite sandwich panels were evaluated. Kits based on both types of radiation source were postulated, and their pros and cons compared. A prepackaged system based on a one-part UV-activated resin was judged the best path for additional development. Tests of damaged-then-repaired sandwich beams showed that UV-repaired structures could exhibit post-repair strength greater than that of the original undamaged part.