Carbon Fiber Composite Processing Using Isothermal Resins

To meet future demand for single-aisle composite aircraft production, manufacturing rates are
expected to increase by up to six times current production rates. Resin infusion is a
manufacturing method that has potential to enable fabrication of structures at the desired rates.
However, production cycle times with currently available commercial infusion resins cannot
support the rates needed for an estimated 80 aircraft per month. Recently, rapid-curing
isothermal resins were developed that can reduce the overall processing time. These resins can
be infused, cured, and demolded at a single temperature below 100 °C, thereby eliminating the
need for time consuming temperature ramps and shortening the overall cure time. In addition, the
low temperatures enable use of low-cost tooling during production. This presentation will
discuss the use of resin transfer molding to produce composites with rapid-curing isothermal
resins, manufacturing considerations, and performance characteristics of the composites.