CompositesWorld
Issue link: https://cw.epubxp.com/i/630867
FEBRUARY 2016 14 CompositesWorld OUT OF AUTOCLAVE SUPPLEMENT Read this article online | short.compositesworld.com/DryLay Read more about the MS-21 in "Resin-infused MS-21 wings and wingbox" online | short.compositesworld.com/MS-21wings Read more about multifunctional structures in "Aerocomposites: The move to multifunctionality" compositesworld.com/articles/aerocomposites-the- move-to-multifunctionality fber-placed/liquid resin-infused structures have improved mechanical properties. Why? Although work is still ongoing, Hamlyn says the thermoplastic binder on the fbers improves toughness, which then impacts the failure mode for other properties. Coriolis refned its robotic dry-fber placement machines to make laser heating standard during the 2009-2013 ADVITAC project, which sought to produce SIDE STORY Among the many collaboratives and individual companies that have pursued or are currently pursuing initiatives in dry fber placement and OOA process development are the following: • AUTOW project (2007-2009) led by National Aero- space Laboratory (NLR, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and including Dassault (Paris, France) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI, Tel Aviv, Israel). • Cytec PRISM develops TX1100 dry tape for resin infusion preforms via AFP. • Ingersoll Machine Tools (Rockford, IL, US) and University of South Carolina McNair Center (Columbia, SC, US) collaborate with Hexcel HiTape for aerospace production using dry fber AFP. • DYNAFIB project for local reinforcements in anti- vibration automotive systems using injection molding — Coriolis Composites (Queven, France), Cooper Standard. • FIABILIN project for bio-matrix infused fax structures — Coriolis, Arkema (Colombes, France). • German Aerospace Center (DLR) Center for Lightweight-Production-Technology (Stade, Germany) — full-scale WingCover DFP for resin infusion. • MG Aerospace (Augsburg, Germany) Fiber-reinforced Optimized Rocket Case (FORC), a solid rocket motor case, using dry fber and resin infusion. • The D3D dry fber preform manufacturing method for automated aerospace production, from Composite Alliance Corp. (Dallas, TX, US), developed originally by Shikibo Ltd. (Osaka, Japan). • Infusion Resins for Automated Dry Fiber Placement — NASA SBIR via Marshall Space Flight Center (Huntsville, AL, US). Automated dry fber placement: A growing trend a smart composite aircraft tailcone via a fastener-free, integrated structure, using dry fber placement and liquid resin molding. It also worked with composite parts manufacturer Aerocomposit (Moscow, Russia) to adapt this technology for the resin-infused wing on the MS-21 single-aisle jetliner (see "Learn More"). A robot-based Coriolis machine is now producing wing spar and stringer preforms at Aerocomposit, while a gantry-based machine by MTorres (Torres de Elorz, Spain) is laying up the wingskin preforms. "Te robot is well-adapted for complicated shapes," explains Hamlyn. "It is also very dynamic, which is important because it must interpolate up to eight axes of movement at a time, including that of the tool supporting the structures. Tis is part of the software we have developed to optimize the machine's performance." Hamlyn notes that the Coriolis machines can place dry fber at the same speed as conventional AFP, "but this is partly because all of our machines have been developed to handle dry fber as well as thermoset and thermoplastic prepreg materials." He explains that when Coriolis was founded in 2000, its initial targets were wind blades and automotive parts, appli- cations that require low-cost materials, such as dry fber. Coriolis switched to thermoset tapes only when it began working with Airbus (Toulouse, France), because the OEM wanted to use already qualifed materials. "But we realized that one day the aero- space industry would want to use dry fber as well," says Hamlyn. Indeed, many projects and players are pursuing dry fber placement for both aerospace and automo- tive/transportation applications (see the "Side Story" at left).