Thermoset Composite Welding

Assembly remains a major cost in manufacturing complex composite components. To allow rapid assembly of carbon/epoxy components, ACS Australia staff and other participants in CRC-ACS developed Thermoset Composite Welding (TCW).

Efforts to reduce assembly costs frequently focus on making larger, more complex structures. TCW reduces costs in quite a different way, by combining the rapid welding potential of thermoplastic composites with the versatility and lower cost of carbon/epoxy prepregs.

In the TCW process, a special layer of thermoplastic is incorporated in the surface of components to be joined during layup. The thermoplastic and thermoset polymers intermingle before the cure is complete, providing a strongly attached thermoplastic surface on the thermoset composite laminate. In the subsequent welding process, these laminates can be rapidly joined, giving a robust joint with less sensitivity to aggressive environments than adhesive bonded joints.

Cost savings are dramatic. 10% component cost savings have been projected on example aircraft components, and non-structural implementations of TCW may allow 90% reduction in labour requirements.

This patented technology is being readied for application in fields from construction to sporting equipment, and will be deployed on aircraft within five years.

Plant-Sourced Biocomposites

Consumers demand environmentally friendly technologies. ACS Australia staff and CRC-ACS participants have undertaken development of plant fibre biocomposites, utilising conventional and plant-sourced polymer systems, to produce reliable, sustainable technology for this next generation of composites.

Several research programs are addressing applications from aircraft interiors to building products. One stream of technology development has focused on extruded wood and natural fibre combined with conventional thermoplastics, for the replacement of timber products in a range of applications.

Another stream has concentrated on textiles for replacement of random and continuous glass fibre. Yet more work is underway in developing treatment systems for improving moisture, adhesion and fire performance of plant-based fibres, for application to partially and wholly plant-sourced composites. We are collaborating with a wide range of institutions around Australia and across the globe in this emerging field.

Nanocomposites

Nanocomposites are composite materials where one of the constituents has dimensions in the range of 1- 100 nm. Polymers containing nano-scale additives have drawn significant interest in research organisations and industry sectors in recent years as they potentially improve performance and multi-function capabilities of matrix materials by using only a relatively small amount of reinforcement.

Through a number of collaborative research programs, ACS Australia staff have built up a significant body of experience and knowledge in the field, from processing to implementation. Technical issues such as compatibility, nanostructures and particle dispersion in polymer matrix have been considerably investigated and processing approaches have been developed. Various nanocomposites were investigated, including nanoclay/DGEBA, nano-sized Alumina/DGEBA and nanoclay/PVDF. Another project investigated the use of carbon nanotubes.