Engineering topics

Hou, T. H.

Publications and source records attributed to Hou, T. H..

18 records

NASA NTRS2004

Evaluation of Double-Vacuum-Bag Process For Composite Fabrication

A non-autoclave vacuum bag process using atmospheric pressure alone that eliminates the need for external pressure normally supplied by an autoclave or a press is an attractive method for composite fabrication. This type of process does not require large capital expenditures for tooling and processing equipment. In the molding cycle (temperature/pressure profile) for a given composite system, the vacuum application point has to be carefully selected to achieve the final consolidated laminate net shape and resin content without excessive resin squeeze-out. The traditional single-vacuum- bag (SVB) process is best suited for molding epoxy matrix based composites because of their superior flow and the absence of reaction by-products or other volatiles. Other classes of materials, such as polyimides and phenolics, generate water during cure. In addition, these materials are commonly synthesized as oligomers using solvents to facilitate processability. Volatiles (solvents and reaction byproducts) management therefore becomes a critical issue. SVB molding, without additional pressure, normally fails to yield void-free quality composites for these classes of resin systems. A double-vacuum- bag (DVB) process for volatile management was envisioned, designed and built at the NASA Langley Research Center. This experimental DVB process affords superior volatiles management compared to the traditional SVB process. Void-free composites are consistently fabricated as measured by C-scan and optical photomicroscopy for high performance polyimide and phenolic resins.

Hou, T. H.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Automated Tow Placed LaRC(TM)-PETI-5 Composites

LaRC(TM)-PETI-5 is a PhenylEthynyl-Terminated Imide resin developed at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) during the 1990s. It offers a combination of attractive composite and adhesive properties. IM7/LaRC(TM)-PETI-5 composites exhibit thermal and thermo-oxidative stability typical of polyimides, superior chemical resistance and processability, excellent mechanical properties, toughness and damage tolerance. It was selected for study in the High Speed Research program aimed at developing technologies for a future supersonic aircraft, the High Speed Civil Transport, with a projected life span of 60 000 h at a cruise speed up to Mach 2.4. Robust autoclave processing cycles for LaRC(TM)-PETI-5 composites have been thoroughly designed and demonstrated, which involved hand lay-up of solvent-ladened 'wet' prepregs. However, this type of processing is not only costly but also environmentally unfriendly. Volatile management and shrinkage could become serious problems in the fabrication of large complex airframe structural subcomponents. Robotic tow placement technology utilizing 'dry' material forms represents a new fabrication process which overcomes these deficiencies. This work evaluates and compares mechanical properties of composites fabricated by heated head automated tow placement (dry process) with those obtained by hand lay-up/autoclave fabrication (wet process). Thermal and rheological properties of the robotically as-placed uncured composites were measured. A post-cure cycle was designed due to the requirement of the PETI-5 resin for a 370 C/1 h hold to reach full cure, conditions which cannot be duplicated during heated head robotic placement. Mechanical properties such as 0 degree flexural strength and modulus, open hole tensile and compressive strength and moduli, reduced section compression dogbone compressive strength, and modified zippora-medium small (MZ-MS) tensile and compressive properties were obtained on the post-cured panels. These properties compared favourably with those obtained from the wet process.

Hou, T. H.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Matrix Characterization and Development for the Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding Process

The curing kinetics and viscosity of an epoxy resin system, SI-ZG-5A, have been characterized for application in the vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process. Impregnation of a typical carbon fiber perform provided the test bed for the characterization. Process simulations were carried out using the process model, COMPRO, to examine heat transfer and curing kinetics for a fully impregnated panel, neglecting resin flow. The predicted viscosity profile and final degree of cure were found to be in good agreement with experimental observations.

Grimsley, B. W.↗

NASA NTRS1998

IM7/LARC(tm) MPEI-1 Polymide Composites

LARC(Trademark) MPEI-1 (Langley Research Center(Trademark) modified phenylethynyl imide-1) phenylethynyl containing aromatic polymide, is based on the reaction of biphenyl dianhydride (BPDA), 3,4'-oxydianiline (3,4'-ODA), 1,3-bis(3-aminophenoxy)benzene (APB), 2,4,6-triaminopyrimidine (TAP) and 4-phenylethynyl phthalic anhydride (PEPA), presumably resulting in a mixture of linear, branched and star shaped phenylethynyl containing imides which was evaluated as a matrix for high-performance composites. The poly(amid acid) solution of MPEI-1 in N-methypyrrolidinone was synthesized at 35% and 42% solids. Unidirectional prepreg was fabricated from these solutions and Hercules IM7 carbon fiber utilizing NASA- Langley's multipurpose prepreg machine. The temperature-dependent volatile depletion rates, thermal crystallization behavior and resin theology were characterized. Based on this information, a composite molding cycle was developed which yielded well consolidated, void-free laminates. Composite mechanical properties such as short beam shear strength, longitudinal and transverse flexural strength and flexural modulus, longitudinal tensile strength and notched and unnotched compression strengths were measured at room temperature (RT) and elevated temperatures. These mechanical properties are compared with those of IM7/LARC(Trademark) PETI-5 composites.

Hou, T. H.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Analysis of pultrusion processing for long fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite system

Pultrusion is one of the composite processing technology, commonly recognized as a simple and cost-effective means for the manufacturing of fiber-reinforced, resin matrix composite parts with different regular geometries. Previously, because the majority of the pultruded composite parts were made of thermosetting resin matrix, emphasis of the analysis on the process has been on the conservation of energy from various sources, such as heat conduction and the curing kinetics of the resin system. Analysis on the flow aspect of the process was almost absent in the literature for thermosetting process. With the increasing uses of thermoplastic materials, it is desirable to obtain the detailed velocity and pressure profiles inside the pultrusion die. Using a modified Darcy's law for flow through porous media, closed form analytical solutions for the velocity and pressure distributions inside the pultrusion die are obtained for the first time. This enables us to estimate the magnitude of viscous dissipation and it's effects on the pultruded parts. Pulling forces refined in the pultrusion processing are also analyzed. The analytical model derived in this study can be used to advance our knowledge and control of the pultrusion process for fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite parts.

Tso, W.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Characterization of thermoplastic polyimide NEW-TPI

Thermal and rheological properties of a commercial thermoplastic polyimide, NEW-TPI, were characterized. The as-received material possesses initially a transient crystallite form with a bimodal distribution in peak melting temperatures. After the meltings of the initial crystallite structures, the sample can be recrystallized by various thermal treatments. A bimodal or single-modal melting peak distribution is formed for annealing temperatures below or above 360 C, respectively. The recrystallized crystallinities are all transient in nature. The polymers are unable to be recrystallized after being subjected to elevated temperature annealing above 450 C. The recrystallization mechanism was postulated, and a simple kinetics model was found to describe the behavior satisfactorily under conditions of prolonged thermal annealing.

Hou, T. H.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Characterization of LaRC-TPI 1500 powders - A new version with controlled molecular weight

The crystallization behavior and the melt flow properties of two batches of 1500 series LaRC-TPI polymers have been investigated. The characterization methods include DSC, XRD, and melt rheology. The as-received materials posses initial crystalline melting peak temperatures of 295 and 305 C, respectively. These materials are less readily recrystallizable at elevated temperatures when compared to other semicrystalline thermoplastics. For the samples annealed at temperatures below 330 C, a semicrystalline polymer can be obtained. On the other hand, a purely amorphous structure is realized in samples annealed at temperatures above 330 C. The viscoelastic properties at elevated temperatures below and above T(g)s of the polymers were measured. Information with regard to the molecule sizes and distributions in these polymers were also extracted from melt rheology.

Hou, T. H.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Determinations of molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of high polymers by the rheological properties

Several methods are reviewed by which the molecular weight (MW) and the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of polymeric material were determined from the rheological properties. A poly(arylene ether) polymer with six different molecular weights was used in this investigation. Experimentally measured MW and MWD were conducted by GPC/LALLS (gel permeation chromatography/low angle laser light scattering), and the rheological properties of the melts were measured by a Rheometric System Four rheometer. It was found that qualitative information of the MW and MWD of these polymers could be derived from the viscoelastic properties, with the methods proposed by Zeichner and Patel, and by Dormier et al., by shifting the master curves of the dynamic storage modulus, G', and the loss modulus, G'', along the frequency axis. Efforts were also made to calculate quantitative profiles of MW and MWD for these polymers from their rheological properties. The technique recently proposed by Wu was evaluated. It was found that satisfactory results could only be obtained for polymers with single modal distribution in the molecular weight.

Huang, J. Y.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Chemoviscosity modeling for thermosetting resin systems, 4

An experimental study on the changes of chemorheological properties has been conducted and analyzed on commercial Hercules 3501-6 resin system cured under several isothermal conditions between 375 and 435 K. For the cure temperatures equal to or greater than 385 K, the storage modulus curing curves, G prime (t), exhibited abrupt changes in slope which occurred at various times depending on the curing temperatures and were attributed to the onset of gelation reactions. The crossover points between G prime (t) and G double prime (t) curves were observed for curing temperatures equal to or greater than 400 K. The gelation and the crossover points obtained from the chemorheological measurements, therefore, defined two characteristic resin states during cure. Approximately the same value for the degree of cure was reached by the advancement of the reaction at each of these states. The temperature dependency of the viscosities for the characteristic resin states and the rate constants of increase in moduli at different stages of curing were analyzed. Various G prime (t) and G double prime (t) isothermal curing curves were also shown to be capable of being superimposed on one another by the principle of time-temperature superposition. The resultant shift factors a sub t(t) and a Eta(T) were shown to follow the Arrhenius type relationship. Values of the activation energy suggested that the reaction kinetics, instead of the diffusion mechanism, was the limiting step in the overall resin advancement for the cure at temperatures equal to or greater than 385 K.

Hou, T. H.↗

NASA NTRS1988

A semi-empirical approach for the chemoviscosity modeling of reactive resin system

A new analytical model for simulating chemoviscosity of a thermosetting resin is presented. The model is developed on the basis of the Williams-Landel-Ferry (WLF, 1955) polymer rheology theory for the thermoplastic materials, which was modified to account for the factor of reaction time by introducing a relationship between the glass transition temperature and the degree of cure of the resin system. Theoretical predictions of the chemoviscosity profiles under dynamic curing conditions are shown to compare favorably with the experimental data obtained on the Hercules 3501-6 resin system cured under seven isothermal conditions.

Hou, T. H.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Chemoviscosity modeling for thermosetting resin systems, part 3

A new analytical model for simulating chemoviscosity resin has been formulated. The model is developed by modifying the well established Williams-Landel-Ferry (WLF) theory in polymer rheology for thermoplastic materials. By introducing a relationship between the glass transition temperature (T sub g (t)) and the degree of cure alpha(t) of the resin system under cure, the WLF theory can be modified to account for the factor of reaction time. Temperature-dependent functions of the modified WLF theory parameters C sub 1 (T) and C sub 2 (T) were determined from the isothermal cure data. Theoretical predictions of the model for the resin under dynamic heating cure cycles were shown to compare favorably with the experimental data. This work represents a progress toward establishing a chemoviscosity model which is capable of not only describing viscosity profiles accurately under various cure cycles, but also correlating viscosity data to the changes of physical properties associated with the structural transformations of the thermosetting resin systems during cure.

Hou, T. H.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Characterization of a semicrystalline polyimidesulfone powder

A semicrystalline polyimidesulfone (PISO2) material has been synthesized and characterized. Characterization methods include thermal analysis by DSC and measurements of inherent viscosities, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, and viscoelasticity. The melt flow properties of both amorphous and semicrystalline samples were also investigated by means of a parallel plate plastometer. This material was found to be not readily recrystallizable at temperatures above its initial peak melting point of 225 C, when compared to other crystalline thermoplastics. This semicrystalline PISO2 demonstrated a flow about 5 times greater than the amorphous one as characterized by the plastometer. Such enhanced melt flow properties could be of great benefit in the adhesive and composite lamination processes.

Hou, T. H.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Studies on chemoviscosity modeling for thermosetting resins

A new analytical model for simulating chemoviscosity of thermosetting resins has been formulated. The model is developed by modifying the well-established Williams-Landel-Ferry (WLF) theory in polymer rheology for thermoplastic materials. By introducing a relationship between the glass transition temperature Tg(t) and the degree of cure alpha(t) of the resin system under cure, the WLF theory can be modified to account for the factor of reaction time. Temperature dependent functions of the modified WLF theory constants C sub 1 (t) and C sub 2 (t) were determined from the isothermal cure data. Theoretical predictions of the model for the resin under dynamic heating cure cycles were shown to compare favorably with the experimental data. This work represents progress toward establishing a chemoviscosity model which is capable of not only describing viscosity profiles accurately under various cure cycles, but also correlating viscosity data to the changes of physical properties associated with the structural transformation of the thermosetting resin systems during cure.

Bai, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Chemoviscosity modeling for thermosetting resins

A chemoviscosity model, which describes viscosity rise profiles accurately under various cure cycles, and correlates viscosity data to the changes of physical properties associated with structural transformations of the thermosetting resin system during cure, was established. Work completed on chemoviscosity modeling for thermosetting resins is reported.

Tiwari, S. N.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Autoclave processing for composite material fabrication. 1: An analysis of resin flows and fiber compactions for thin laminate

High quality long fiber reinforced composites, such as those used in aerospace and industrial applications, are commonly processed in autoclaves. An adequate resin flow model for the entire system (laminate/bleeder/breather), which provides a description of the time-dependent laminate consolidation process, is useful in predicting the loss of resin, heat transfer characteristics, fiber volume fraction and part dimension, etc., under a specified set of processing conditions. This could be accomplished by properly analyzing the flow patterns and pressure profiles inside the laminate during processing. A newly formulated resin flow model for composite prepreg lamination process is reported. This model considers viscous resin flows in both directions perpendicular and parallel to the composite plane. In the horizontal direction, a squeezing flow between two nonporous parallel plates is analyzed, while in the vertical direction, a poiseuille type pressure flow through porous media is assumed. Proper force and mass balances have been made and solved for the whole system. The effects of fiber-fiber interactions during lamination are included as well. The unique features of this analysis are: (1) the pressure gradient inside the laminate is assumed to be generated from squeezing action between two adjacent approaching fiber layers, and (2) the behavior of fiber bundles is simulated by a Finitely Extendable Nonlinear Elastic (FENE) spring.

Hou, T. H.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Chemoviscosity modeling for thermosetting resins, 2

A new analytical model for simulating chemoviscosity of thermosetting resin was formulated. The model is developed by modifying the Williams-Landel-Ferry (WLF) theory in polymer rheology for thermoplastic materials. By assuming a linear relationship between the glass transition temperature and the degree of cure of the resin system under cure, the WLF theory can be modified to account for the factor of reaction time. Temperature dependent functions of the modified WLF theory constants were determined from the isothermal cure data of Lee, Loos, and Springer for the Hercules 3501-6 resin system. Theoretical predictions of the model for the resin under dynamic heating cure cycles were shown to compare favorably with the experimental data reported by Carpenter. A chemoviscosity model which is capable of not only describing viscosity profiles accurately under various cure cycles, but also correlating viscosity data to the changes of physical properties associated with the structural transformations of the thermosetting resin systems during cure was established.

Hou, T. H.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Chemoviscosity modeling for thermosetting resins - I

A new analytical model for chemoviscosity variation during cure of thermosetting resins was developed. This model is derived by modifying the widely used WLF (Williams-Landel-Ferry) Theory in polymer rheology. Major assumptions involved are that the rate of reaction is diffusion controlled and is linearly inversely proportional to the viscosity of the medium over the entire cure cycle. The resultant first order nonlinear differential equation is solved numerically, and the model predictions compare favorably with experimental data of EPON 828/Agent U obtained on a Rheometrics System 4 Rheometer. The model describes chemoviscosity up to a range of six orders of magnitude under isothermal curing conditions. The extremely non-linear chemoviscosity profile for a dynamic heating cure cycle is predicted as well. The model is also shown to predict changes of glass transition temperature for the thermosetting resin during cure. The physical significance of this prediction is unclear at the present time, however, and further research is required. From the chemoviscosity simulation point of view, the technique of establishing an analytical model as described here is easily applied to any thermosetting resin. The model thus obtained is used in real-time process controls for fabricating composite materials.

Hou, T. H.↗

NASA NTRS1984

A theoretical study of resin flows for thermosetting materials during prepreg processing

A flow model which describes the process of resin consolidation during prepreg lamination was developed. The salient features of model predictions were explored. It is assumed that resin flows in all directions originate from squeezing action between two approaching adjacent fiber/fabric layers. In the horizontal direction, a squeezing flow between two nonporous parallel plates is analyzed, while in the vertical direction a poiseuille type pressure flow through porous media is assumed. Proper force and mass balance was established for the whole system which is composed of these two types of flow. A flow parameter, CF, shows to be a measure of processibility for the curing resin. For a given external load-F the responses of resin flow during prepreg lamination, as measured by CF, are categorized into three regions: (1) the low CF region where resin flows are inhibited by the high chemoviscosity during initial curing stages; (2) the median CF region where resin flows are properly controllable; and (3) the high CF region where resin flows are ceased due to fiber/fabric compression effects. Resin losses in both directions are calculated. Potential uses of this model and quality control of incoming prepreg material are discussed.

Hou, T. H.↗