Session: 03-08-01: Computational Modeling and Simulation for Advanced Manufacturing

Paper Number: 144447

144447 - Modeling the Uv Light Parameters on the Frontal Polymerization of Carbon Fiber Epoxy Resin Composites 

Although recent experimental studies have demonstrated the success of using the UV-inducedfrontal polymerization to significantly reduce the curing time of carbon fiber epoxy resin composites from traditionally several hours in an autoclave/oven to only a few minutes in the ambient environment, the quantitative dependence of the UV light parameters on the performance of the frontal polymerization process still remains unclear. This greatly hinders the control, optimization, and scale-up of this technology for practical applications that involve composite laminates with varying configurations (i.e., different sizes, different number of layers, and different fiber volume fractions). In this presentation, I will present our recent development on the modeling of UV-induced frontal polymerization of epoxy resin carbon fiber composites.

In specific, the model considers the coupling between the UV irradition and the frontal polymerization, which allows us to investigate the quantitative dependence of the UV light parameters (i.e., spot size, distance to the specimen, intensity) on the frontal polymerization process, including the front velocity, front temperature, and the degree of cure. In the model,the curing kinetics of the frontal resin was extracted through DSC measurements by considering both the kinetics of the radical and cationic polymerizations. A diffusion model was also used to construct the kinetics at high temperatures. The implementation of the model was achieved by developing user subroutines for the commerical, general purpose FEA software ABAQUS, which couples the heat transfer, curing process, and the UV irradition. The model was first validated against our experimental data of the evolution of the temperature field. Then, the model was employed to conduct a parametric study to investigate the quantitative dependences of the UV parameters on the performance of the frontal polymerization of carbon fiber composites at varying thicknesses and varying fiber volume fractions. The developed model is expected to provide a powerful predictive tool to achieve the control and optimization of the UV-induced frontal polymerization for the efficient manufacturing of composites at any given configurations.

Presenting Author: Yeqing Wang Syracuse University

Presenting Author Biography: Dr. Yeqing Wang is currently an assistant professor at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Syracuse University. His research interests include mechanics of composite materials and structures, multifunctional composites, advanced manufacturing of composite materials, and lightning strike protection of composites. He is a recipient of the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award and the Best Paper Award at the 2012 American Society for Composites Technical Conference, a voted member of the ASME Structures & Materials Technical Committee, and a senior member of AIAA.

Authors:

Yeqing Wang Syracuse University
Amirreza Tarafdar Syracuse University