Non-Polluting Composites Repair and Remanufacturing for Military Applications
Abstract
This document reports on the results of a program to research, develop, and demonstrate affordable and environmentally friendly composite repair and remanufacturing technologies for stand-alone repair of DOD structures without creating new environmental problems. The ultimate goal of the PP1109 program was to create momentum for out-of-autoclave processing technologies, such that electron beam and induction processing could be demonstrated as matured for specific military applications. Replacing current technical barriers in out-of-autoclave processing methods will substantially increase the rate at which new and environmentally favorable processing methods will become accepted in the composites industry. Critical to the implementation of these technologies is the ability to apply them in niche market areas, such as for repair of composite structures in various military environments. Continued successful use of these new composite materials in the field will result in increasing confidence in the maturity levels of the technologies. During the initial evaluation phases, electron beam technology appeared to have great potential for curing thick and multifunctional polymer matrix materials, such as composite integral armors (CIA). However, ceramic components of the CIA were evaluated demonstrating a significant limitation to e-beam curing for mixed thick section composite to metal and composite to ceramic applications. The limitation is the e-beam penetration depth, which even with high-energy electrons (1-10 MeV) is limited in very dense materials. Future developments might address the applicability of x-ray induced curing for such thick section structures. The program managers developed methods to investigate in real-time the kinetics of reactions for both a cationic initiator decomposition and initiation and epoxides consumption via cationic initiated polymerization.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 16, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA637522
Entities
People
- Anna Yen
- Bazle Gama
- Bernard Hart
- Crystal H. Newton
- Eric D. Wetzel
- Giuseppe R Palmese
- James M. Sands
- John W. Gillespie Jr.
- Mark Wilenski
- Matteo Mascioni
- Michael Stern
- Nicholas Shevchenko
- Richard Moulton
- Shridhar Yarlagadda
- Steven H. McKnight
- Susan Robitaille
Organizations
- United States Army Research Laboratory