|
| WORKSHOP EXERCISES |
•Component lay-up using dry glass cloth and liquid epoxy resin materials. Vacuum bagging with varied bleeder/breather sequences to evaluate resin bleed and flow characteristics.
•Component lay-up using prepreg materials, including: asymmetric laminates made from carbon fiber unidirectional tape. Layup and processing of nested glass and aramid fiber fabric sandwich panels.
•Vacuum bagging using non-autoclave bleeder/breather schedules. Thermocouple placement.Pleating to minimize bridging in high-angle core transitions. Vacuum debulking, leak checking, other potential bagging problems. Use of an ultrasonic leak detector.
•Oven curing; ramp rate, soak, and cooling requirements. Introduction to hot-bond repair equipment.
•Wet-layup repair: damage removal, scarf preparation, core & skin repair, use of wet resins and cloth for repairs, core plug repairs
|
|
|
| COURSE DESCRIPTION |
Our most popular class, the 5-day ‘Fabrication & Damage Repair, Phase 1’ course is designed to meet the needs of a wide range of personnel; from the very beginner to the seasoned professional.
The ‘Phase 1’ course is a prerequisite for both our repair and manufacturing course-programs and is highly recommended to anybody seeking a better understanding of advanced composites.
Balanced with theoretical and practical presentations, the hands-on exercises in this course are extensive. The students will work with dry glass fabric and liquid epoxy resin in an exercise designed to teach the students fundamental vacuum bagging, bleeder & breather concepts.
They will work with prepreg carbon fiber unidirectional tape to explore “balance” and “symmetry” requirements in a laminate. Teams will work with prepreg glass and aramid fiber harness-satin fabrics, along with Nomex® honeycomb and polyurethane foam core materials, where laminate “nesting” is practiced.
And finally, basic repair methods and techniques will be presented along with performing a “wet layup” repair in class. On the last day, the final repaired part will be cut in half for evaluation of the manufactured and repaired panel.
For those who desire more in-depth repair training, we recommend taking our Advanced Composite Structures: Damage Repair – Phase 2 course, scheduled immediately after our Phase 1 course, every time. For those looking for further knowledge in the area of manufacturing, we offer Manufacturing Practices courses throughout the year.
|
|
|
|
| KEY LECTURE ELEMENTS |
•Current State of Composite Technology: history, recent developments and terminology.
•Characteristics of Advanced Composite Materials.
•Material Forms: dry cloth and wet resins vs. prepregs, weave/styles, etc.
•Fabrication Methods: wet layup, prepreg layup, filament winding, RTM, press molding, pultrusion.
•Resin/Matrix Systems: thermosets vs. thermoplastics, temperature ranges, cold storage requirements/shelf life limits, adhesives.
•Fundamentals of Fabrication: prepreg cloth handling, ply orientation, lay-up procedures, vacuum bagging.
•Curing Methods: oven/autoclave/hot bonder cures.
•Adhesive bonding technology: co-curing vs. secondary bonding, surface preparation, curing temperatures, cleanliness, pressure, bond line quality.
•Inspection methods & techniques: non-destructive inspection methods, defect detection, galvanic corrosion, documentation, acceptable vs. unacceptable defects, defect prevention.
•Principles of Tooling: types of tools, thermal characteristics.
•Repair Methods: permanent vs. temporary repairs, scarf vs. stepped vs. mechanical patch repair scenarios, demo of hot bonder field repair units.
•Fasteners: use of mechanical fasteners, adhesively bonded fasteners.
•Health and Safety Issues: proper handling, personal protection, allergic reactions, waste disposal.
|
|
|
