*This paper is declared a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States.
The emergence of bismaleimide composites has fulfilled some of the increasing demand for higher temperature performance aeronautics and space exploration vehicles. This study examines and evaluates three bismaleimide matrix resins and two bismaleimide adhesives and reports on the processing properties of these resins and composites by out-of-autoclave–vacuum-bag-only oven processing. Measurements were conducted under various cure cycles to characterize and correlate thermal and viscoelastic properties of the materials. Specimens of all three aged matrix resins exhibited an out-time life up to 30 days when stored at room temperature. Solid and sandwich panels were fabricated with the out-of-autoclave–vacuum-bag-only process. Because of tooling limitations in industry practices, composite fabrication of these bismaleimides was restricted to a maximum 177℃ curing, followed by a free-standing postcuring at elevated temperatures in an oven. The adhesive foaming characteristics, composite resin/void content, flat wise tensile strength, and fracture surface features were evaluated. Due to the unique temperature limitations of this work, the resulting panel properties were not necessarily representative of manufacturer specifications or recommendations.
BerejkaAJEberleC. Electron beam curing of composites in North America. Radiat Phys Chem2002; 63: 551–556.
2.
AdvaniSGSozerEM. Process modeling in composites manufacturing, New York: Marcel Dekker, 2003.
3.
StrongAB. Fundamentals of composites manufacturing: Materials, methods and applications, 2nd edn. Dearborn Michigan: Society of Manufacturing Engineers, 2008.
4.
AbrahamDMatthewsHMcllhaggerR. A comparison of physical properties of glass fibre epoxy composites produced by wet lay-up with autoclave consolidation and resin transfer moulding. Compos A Appl Sci Manuf1998; 29: 795–795.
5.
LoosAC. Low-cost fabrication of advanced polymeric composite by resin infusion process. Adv Compos Mater2001; 10: 99–99.
Sutter JK, Kenner WS, Pelham L, et al. Comparison of autoclave and out-of-autoclave composites for heavy lift launch vehicles. In: Proceedings of SAMPE fall technical conference 2010, Salt Lake City, Utah, 11–14 October 2010.
8.
ARES Rheometer. User’s manual. TA Instruments–Waters LLC, 2003.
9.
ASTM E2070. Standard test method for kinetic parameters by differential scanning calorimetry using isothermal methods, 2008.
10.
ASTM C 297. Standard test method for flatwise tensile strength of sandwich construction, 2010.
11.
ASTM D5573. Standard practice for classifying failure modes in fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) joints, 2012.
12.
Metlbond 2550 film adhesive FM2550 technical data sheet. Cytec Engineered Materials, 2010.
13.
Scotch-Weld™ structural adhesive film AF-555 technical data sheet. 3M Aerospace and Aircraft Maintenance Division, 2007.
14.
Miller SG, Williams TS, Wingard CD, et al. Cure studies based on out-of-autoclave processable bismaleimides. In: Proceedings of SAMPE fall technical conference 2012, Charleston, South Carolina, October 25, 2012.
