adhesives & material bonding preparation...sep 10, 2020 · as the covid-19 pandemic continues...

SOCIETY FOR THE ADVANCEMENT

OF MATERIAL AND PROCESS ENGINEERING

6PAGE

SAMPE Europe 20 Amsterdam........................48

SAMPE Graphene Leadership Summit...........58

SAMPE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020

CAMX 2020 Virtual Event.................................60

Adhesives & Material Bonding Preparation

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | SAMPE JOURNAL | 1www.sampe.org

TABLE OF CONTENTSSEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | Vol. 56, No. 5 | www.sampe.org

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS + NEWS

JOURNAL ASPECTS: The subject of “adhesives and material bonding preparation” various materials together so that they maintain structural adequacy over time and load history, depends upon many factors as well as applications. The cover photo, courtesy of Masterbond, Inc. demonstrates that even small electrical components require specialty encapsulant adhesives to protect electrical components. Composites involve fibers and resins within laminated structures. Consequently, composite joint bonds often require designs that will arrest, or stop, any crack growth. The team from the University of Tokyo, JAXA and JSTB developed a unique process for controlling such adhesive areas where a crack might develop. Cleaning surfaces of planned adhesive bonded regions is a critical aspect and Surfx Technologies LLC has developed such methods for aerospace “nutplates” which are commonly used. Plasma treating has also become quite popular as shown in the photo cleaning an automotive composite structure (courtesy Plasmatreet GmbH’s application article). Repairs -- for the most part, if a structural composite is damaged to the extent repair is possible, adhesive bonding often is used to effect near 100% recovery to initial capability. Carbon fiber composite bicycles often undergo some damage during their history -- and a graduate student at Penn State (PSU) has demonstrated adhesive bonded repairs to a composite frame.

16OPTIMUM NUTPLATE

PERFORMANCE

Plasma Surface Preparation for Optimum Nutplate Performance

26AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING

WITH PLASMA

Towards a New Era in Automotive Engineering with Plasma

34BONDED STRUCTURAL

REPAIR

Bonded Structural Repair of Carbon Fiber Bicycle Frames

52

PAGE

Composite Bonded Joints

Interlocking Fiber Configuration Effect on Mode-I Disbond Arresting in Composite Bonded Joints

6

2 Welcome to SAMPE!

Our New CEO-Zane Clark

3 Technical Director’s

Corner

46 SAMPE 2021 Long Beach

Call for Abstracts

48 SAMPE Conference 20

Amsterdam

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Update Your Profile Today!

52 Industry Announcements

54 Welcome SAMPE New

Members

58 SAMPE Graphene

Leadership Summit

59 Team SAMPE

60 CAMX 2020 | Orlando, FL

64 CAMX 2020 | Orlando, FL

Virtual Exhibitor Listings

68 Advertiser Index

69 Resource Center

72 SAMPE Virtual Events

Calendar

2 | SAMPE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 www.sampe.org

In his new role, Zane will be responsible for leading the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering’s (SAMPE) dedicated volunteers and staff to increase membership value to its members, sponsors, partners and other stakeholders. He will also oversee efforts to expand the organization’s programs, including its membership base.

Zane Clark is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) and is a board member of the California Society of Association Executives (CalSAE), with 20 years of experience in volunteer engagement, membership benefit development, association foundation program leadership and committee management.

To learn more and connect with Zane Clark, visit www.linkedin.com/in/zaneclark

CONTACT USSociety for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE)[email protected](626) 521-946021680 Gateway Center Drive, Suite 300Diamond Bar, CA 91765-2454www.nasampe.org

WELCOME TO SAMPEZANE CLARK, CAE, MBACEO, SAMPE North America


FROM THE TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

While 2020 has certainly thrown the world a few

curveballs, sometimes a series of setbacks

provide opportunities we did not first realize. When

COVID-19 first struck, SAMPE quickly launched a

video series featuring Arnt Offringa’s “Thermoplas-

tic Tutorial Series,” which drew over eight thousand

views to date. Free to all SAMPE members, interest

was very high. The series covered a wide range of

thermoplastic technologies as well as aerospace and

automotive applications.

When COVID-19 failed to fade away, many im-

portant industry conferences and exhibition events

had to first postpone and then cancel on-site pro-

gramming. The first of these events were the SAMPE

Europe Summit and then the SAMPE Seattle confer-

ence. However, never one to accept defeat, SAMPE

SAMPE’s Virtual Education Opportunities: SAMPE’s Virtual Education Opportunities: Tutorials, Conferences, Executive SummitsTutorials, Conferences, Executive SummitsDR. SCOTT W. BECKWITH, FSAMPE | [email protected] | [email protected]

immediately planned a virtual technical paper

program consisting of roughly 90 technical papers

and video presentations that are still going on and,

so far, bringing 1,400 views to the series. This series

represents over 50% of the planned SAMPE Seattle

technical paper programming. The rest will transfer

directly over to SAMPE Long Beach next May 2021.

SAMPE China 2020, which was to be held in Beijing,

and celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Beijing

Chapter, chose to go virtual the week of July 27th.

Their program included keynote speakers on sever-

al technology areas including sustainability, green

composite materials, wind turbine blades, rail transit

applications, high performance fibers, 3D weaving

technology, textile composites simulations, smart

factory opportunities, civil infrastructure carbon Continued on page 4


SAMPE GLOBAL OFFICERS 2020-2021Global President, Dr.-Ing. Xiaosu Yi, FSAMPE, AVIC, [email protected]

Global Executive Vice President, Dr. Nick Gianaris, PE, FASM, [email protected]

President of China Region, Prof. Yiping Qiu, PhD, FSAMPE, Donghua University, [email protected]

President of Europe Region, Prof. Rinze Benedictus, Delft University of Technology, [email protected]

President of Japan Region, Dr. Tsuyoshi Ozaki, Composites R&D Co Ltd., [email protected]

President of North America Region, Timothy P. Shaughnessy, President & CEO, Rapid Cure Technologies, Inc., [email protected]

Global Immediate Past President, Prof. Kazuro Kageyama, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, [email protected]

Global Secretary, Zane Clark, CAE, SAMPE [email protected]

SAMPE INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORSCEO and Executive Director, Zane Clark, CAE, [email protected]

Technical Director, Dr. Scott Beckwith, FSAMPE [email protected]

SAMPE JOURNAL EDITORIAL OFFICE21680 Gateway Center Drive, Suite 300, Diamond Bar, CA 91765 USAPhone: +1 626.521.9456

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EDITORIAL BOARDSAMPE China Region Prof. Xiaosu Yi (2017-2020) – ACC Beijing S&T Co., Ltd.

SAMPE Europe Region Prof. Andrew Long (2017-2020) – Univ. of Nottingham

Arnt Offringa (2017-2020) – Fokker Aerostructures BV

Prof. Jyrki Vuorinen (2017-2020) – Tampere University of Technology

SAMPE Japan Region Prof. Hiroyuki Hamada (2018-2020) – Kyoto Institute of Technology

Dr. Yutaka Iwahori (2018-2020) - JAXA

Prof. Kazuro Kageyama (2018-2020) – Kanazawa Institute of Technology

Prof. Nobuo Takeda (2017-2020) – The University of Tokyo

SAMPE North America RegionProf. Terry Creasy (2017-2020) – Texas A&M University

Prof. David Fullwood (2017-2020) – Brigham Young University

Prof. Lessa Grunenfelder (2017-2020) – Univ. of Southern California

Prof. Pascal Hubert (2017-2020) – McGill University

Sandi Miller (2017-2020) – NASA Glenn Research Center

Dr. Louis Pilato (2017-2020) – Pilato Consulting

Kara Storage (2017-2020) – Air Force Research Laboratory

Tara Storage (2017-2020) – Air Force Research Laboratory

Dr. Robert Yancey (2017-2020) – Hexcel Corporation

At-Large Members and Brazil ChapterDr. Rikard Heslehurst (2017-2020) – Heslehurst & Associates

Rodrigo Berardine (2017-2020) – Owens Corning Fiberglass

Carlos Leao Leutewiler (2018-2020) – Toho Tenax America Inc.

Jorge Nasseh (2017-2020) – Barracuda Composites

SAMPE Journal ISSN0091-1062 Copyright ©2020 by the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE®) is published bi-monthly, with an additional issue in the fall (Annual Resource Guide), by SAMPE, 21680 Gateway Center Drive, Suite 300, Diamond Bar, CA 91765 seven times a year (Jan., Mar., May, July, Sept., Nov.) Editorial Offices: 21680 Gateway Center Drive, Suite 300, Diamond Bar, CA 91765. Accounting and Circulation Offices: SAMPE, 21680 Gateway Center Drive, Suite 300, Diamond Bar, CA 91765. Call (626) 521.9460 to subscribe. Periodical postage paid at City of Industry, CA and additional mailing offices, (if applicable). SAMPE Journal, USPS (518-510).

Postmaster: Send address changes to SAMPE Journal: 21680 Gateway Center Drive, Suite 300, Diamond Bar, CA 91765. ©2020 by SAMPE. All rights reserved. None of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. Printed in the USA. Opinions and information provided by authors of technical arti-cles published in the SAMPE Journal are accepted as the author’s responsibility for factual information regarding all data and commentary.

fibers, high performance thermoplastics,

3D printing applications, and composites

global market overview. SAMPE China has

always had massive student participation

in their bridge building contests. This year,

they also added a new wing-building con-

test. Interest was so strong, that even with

numerous academic institutions shut-

tered, there were 27 wing contest entrees

involving more than 135 students over the

span of two days. Very impressive.

CAMX 2020 has also been affected. By

the time you receive your SAMPE Journal,

you will have noticed that CAMX began in

mid-August with four free Webinars; Com-

posites 101/201, Tooling Technology 101

and Factory of the Future 101. CAMX is also

offering featured panels, featured speak-

ers, technical papers, education sessions,

tutorials, and exhibits as part of their live

and on-demand programming September

21-24.

SAMPE will now have its first FY2021 vir-

tual executive summit within our workshop

and symposium series starting in November

(see page 60). Graphene, which is roughly

about 1/10th the thickness of a nanometer, is

creating interest these days much like “nan-

otechnology” did in the last decade. The

SAMPE Journal engaged Steve Rodgers (a

SAMPE International Past President) initial-

ly to provide an introductory Tech Tidbits

article on “Graphene Overview” in the Jan-

uary-February 2020 issue. For the executive

summit, tentative plans are to include an

overview tutorial on graphene technology

plus a program which includes 12 global,

high-level executives and technologists on

key aspects of graphene applications, ben-

efits, challenges, commercialization and its

current status in today’s global market. The

summit is designed to bring attendees the

most current graphene information, and

introduce them to global experts in an ap-

proachable, though virtual, way. This will be

our first virtual workshop and symposium

platform in a series planned for the 2021

fiscal year.

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ABSTRACTAdhesively bonded joints have various advantages when compared with bolted joints. However, bonded

joints are not reliable enough to be applied to primary aircraft structures. Therefore, airframes are

assembled by using hundreds of thousands of bolts despite the significant potential of bonded joints. New

disbond arrest features that can limit disbond to an uncritical size are one of the key elements to achieve

certified bonded aircraft structures. Although various design features have been proposed already, they are

not satisfactory in respect of their stiffness and initial failure strength. In this paper, an interlocking fiber

feature is introduced in bonded joints, and its configuration effect on mode-I disbond arresting is evaluated.

Three types of arrester configurations with various fiber volumes are compared in terms of their mechanical

performance and failure pattern in double cantilever beam tests. Finite element analysis is also performed to

clarify the crack-arresting mechanism of each configuration.

Interlocking Fiber Configuration Effect on Mode-I Disbond Arresting in Composite Bonded JointsShinsaku Hisada1,2, Shu Minakuchi1 and Nobuo Takeda1,3

1The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan2Currently, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan3Currently, Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB), Yotsuya, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan

FEATURE

Composite Bonded Joints


INTRODUCTIONAdhesively bonded joints have various advantages when compared with bolted joints. They can significantly save the weight of mechanical fasteners and the manufacturing cost on account of drilling and fastening. In addition, they can eliminate stress concentrations around mechanical fasteners and provide efficient load paths. However, because a fail-safe design is used in aircraft structures, mechanical fastening is required even on adhesively bonded regions so that the full load capacity can be sustained even after the bonded interface has fully failed. At present, hundreds of thousands of bolts are used in the aircraft structure, and the advantages of bonded structures are not fully utilized. Therefore, new design features that can limit disbond to the uncritical size are required to achieve certified bonded aircraft structures1.

Various crack-arrester features have been investigated for metallic structures2–5. Many design features have also been studied for reinforcing the interface of composite–metal joints[6–8]. For composite–composite joints, Nogueira et al.9 evaluated the static and fatigue properties of single lap joints with spiked metal inserts, termed a redundant high efficiency assembly. Tserpes et al.10 manufactured a corrugated bonded joint and investigated its effectiveness by the double cantilever beam (DCB) and crack lap shear tests. Löbel et al.11 investigated the hybrid bondline concept, which is a combination of high stiffness and ductile adhesives. Tao et al.12 used a patterning strategy to induce adhesive ligament bridging and prevent crack propagation. Stitching13–16 and z-pinning17–20 are two of the most actively researched mechanisms. In stitching, the interface is strengthened by sewing carbon fibers or aramid fibers in the out-of-plane direction. In z-pinning, the bonded interface is reinforced by driving metal pins or fiber bundles in the out-of-plane direction using an ultrasonic horn. Although these methods can significantly improve the damage tolerance of composite structures, their stiffness and initial failure strength are not satisfactory.

Our research group21–23 proposed a new crack-arrester concept based on interlocking fibers. The concept is based on suppressing crack propagation via massive fiber bridging in the adhesive layer. This interlocking-fiber-based crack arrester can be prepared by introducing prepreg sheets into the adhesive layer and does not affect the carbon fibers of the adherends. In addition, the crack arrester itself can carry loads as part of the structure. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the cost and weight and suppress the decrease in the initial failure strength. Moreover, using automatic lamination technology, manufacture will be possible in one step with the adherends. Previous studies have verified the superior performance of this crack arrester under mode I, mode II, and fatigue loadings. In particular, for mode-I failure, remarkable performance improvement has been achieved by massive fiber bridging. In this study, the effect of the interlocking fiber configuration on mode-I failure is evaluated using DCB tests. Three types of arrester configurations with various fiber volumes are compared in terms of the mechanical performance and failure patterns. Finite element analysis (FEA) is performed to clarify the arresting mechanism of each configuration.

CONCEPT BEHIND INTERLOCKING-FIBER-BASED CRACK ARRESTERFigure 1 depicts the basic structure of the interlocking-fiber-based crack arrester. The crack arrester is composed of 0° layers and 90° layers. Carbon fibers are oriented in the crack propagation direction in the 0° layers and in the orthogonal direction to crack propagation in the 90° layers. The 90° layers are inserted between the interlocked 0° layers. When a crack passes through the intersection of the 0° layers, the 0° layers bridge the crack and suppress the crack opening (Figure 1a). In addition, the 90° layers prevent the 0° layers from peeling off along the bonded interface with the adherend (Figure 1a). Figure 2 displays a photograph of the crack arrester under mode-I loading. It is observed that the 0° layers are bridging at

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the interface with adherends (Figure 1b), whereas the 90° layers are bridging between the 0° layers (Figure 1b). Therefore, for crack propagation along the bonded interface, it is necessary to fracture the bridging 0° layers or to break the 90° layers progressively. In any case, carbon fiber fracture is necessary for crack propagation. Therefore, introducing a interlocking-fiber-based crack

arrester is expected to lead to significantly higher crack growth resistance when compared with the conventional bonded interface.

EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION: INTERLOCKING FIBER CONFIGURATION EFFECTMaterials and MethodsDCB tests were performed to evaluate the effect of the interlocking fiber configuration on resistance to mode-I failure. The schematic of the DCB specimen is shown in Figure 2. The length of the specimen was 200 mm, and three 25 mm-wide specimens were cut from a plate of 100 mm width. We used a unidirectional carbon/epoxy prepreg sheet (T700SC/2592, Toray Industries, Inc.) for the adherends ([0]16

, thickness: 2.25 mm) and arrester, and an epoxy adhesive film (FM300-2M, Cytec Industries, Inc., thickness: 0.2 mm). The manufacturing method of the crack arrester is shown in Figure 3. First, the part behind the intersection of the 0° layers was cut into a 5-mm-wide-slit shape. Next, an adhesive film was placed on the part next to the intersection of the 0° layers. A sheet of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film (thickness: 50 µm) was placed on the adhesive film to introduce an initial crack. The initial crack was 80 mm in length from the tip of the specimen. The 0° layers, cut into the opposite slit shape of the first 0° layers, were placed on the PTFE film, and the slit parts of each of the 0° layers were interlocked. The crack reached the intersection of the 0° layers at 30 mm from the initial crack. Finally, the crack arrester was fabricated by inserting 90° layers between the interlocked slit parts. A DCB specimen was prepared by sandwiching the crack arrester between the adherends (Figure 4). To evaluate the effect of the interlocking fiber configuration, three types of the configurations were used; the first one with two plies of the prepreg sheets for both the 0° layers and the 90° layers (02

-902 specimen),

the second one with three plies for the 0° layers and two plies for the 90° layers (0

3-90

2 specimen),

and the third one with two plies for the 0° layers and one ply for the 90° layer (0

2-90

1 specimen).

In addition, specimens without the arrester were used for comparison. Specimens were cured in an autoclave under 0.3 MPa pressurization. The curing cycle was 2°C/min heating, 2 h holding at 130°C, and 2°C/min cooling. The specimen with two loading blocks bonded on the surfaces was mounted on a precision universal tester (AG-100kN Xplus, Shimadzu Co.). Tensile loading was applied at a speed of 3 mm/min.

(a)

(b)

Figure 1. Interlocking-fiber-based crack arrester: (a) schematic and (b) photograph.

Figure 2. Schematic of DCB specimen with interlocking-fiber-based crack arrester.


RESULTSA comparison of the typical load–displacement curves between the specimens without the arrester and with the arrester (02

-902 specimen) is shown

in Figure 5. In the specimens without the arrester, the load increased elastically at first. When the crack started to grow from the initial crack, the load decreased with crack propagation. This is a typical behavior of specimens in DCB tests. The specimens with the arrester showed the same tendency as that of the specimen without the arrester in the initial stage of the test. However, after the crack reached the arrester, the load increased inversely. Failure occurred at a significantly higher load than that in the specimens without the arrester. A comparison of the crack tip positions between the specimens without the arrester and with the arrester when a displacement of 30 mm is applied is shown in Figure 6. In the specimens without the arrester, the crack length was approximately 65 mm from the initial position. In contrast, crack propagation was suppressed at the arrester part, which is 30 mm from the initial crack, in the specimens with the arrester. This shows that crack propagation can be suppressed by introducing crack arresters into the

Figure 3. Manufacturing flow for interlocking-fiber-based crack arrester.

Figure 4. Photograph of arrester part of

DCB specimen.

Figure 5. Comparison of typical load–displacement curves of specimens without arrester and with arrester (02-902 specimen).


DCB specimens. A comparison of the typical load–displacement curves for each arrester configuration is shown in Figure 7. Furthermore, the images of fracture surfaces of all specimens are shown in Figure 8. In the 02

-902 specimens, the 0° layers of the

arrester finally failed, and almost no damage was seen in the 90° layers (Figure 8a). Similarly, in the 0

3-

902 specimens, final failure occurred because of the

breakage of 0° layers (Figure 8b). When the number of 0° layers increased from two plies to three plies, failure occurred with a larger load than that in the 02

-902 specimens. Unlike the other two specimens,

in the 02-90

1 specimens, the breakage of 90° layers

caused the final peeling of the bonded interface

(Figure 8c). Consequently, although the failure load of the 0

2-90

1 specimens was lower than that

of the other two specimens, the final displacement increased significantly because the carbon fibers of the 90° layers failed progressively and absorbed the energy. Figures 9 and 10 depict, respectively, the apparent mode-I fracture toughness and energy absorption of each specimen. The error bars represent the standard deviation. The fracture toughness was calculated from the corrected beam

theory using the load and displacement values at the point where the arrested crack started to propagate (i.e., the maximum load point). The apparent mode-I fracture toughness was 1.47 kJ/m2 in the specimens without the arrester. Its values were 9.13, 11.5, and 5.96 kJ/m2 in the 0

2-90

2, 0

3-90

2,

and 02-90

1 specimens, respectively. Therefore, their

fracture toughness increased by 520%, 680%, and 300% respectively compared with the specimens without the arrester. In the arrester configuration in which the 0° layers failed, the number of 0° layers determined the maximum load. Therefore, it is a significant parameter to improve fracture toughness. The energy absorption was 5.39 N∙m

in the specimens without the arrester. Its values were 10.0, 12.7, and 15.6 N∙m in the 02

-902, 0

3-90

2,

and 02-90

1 specimens, respectively. Therefore, their

energy absorption increased by 86%, 140%, and 190% compared with the specimens without the arrester. Although the 03

-902 specimens showed the

best apparent mode-I fracture toughness, the 02-

901 specimens showed the best energy absorption

characteristics because the carbon fibers of the 90° layers absorbed the energy by progressive failure.


Figure 6. Comparison of crack tip locations at 30 mm displacement: (a) specimens without arrester and (b) specimens with arrester (02-902 specimen).

(a) (b)

Figure 7. Comparison of typical load–displacement curves of DCB specimens with various arrester configurations.


(a)

(b)

(c)

Figure 8. Fracture surfaces of DCB specimens with various arrester configurations: (a) 02-902, (b) 03-902, and (c) 02-901

specimens.

Figure 9. Comparison of apparent mode-I fracture toughness of DCB specimens with various arrester configurations.

Figure 10. Comparison of energy absorptions of DCB speci-mens with various arrester configurations.

Therefore, it is beneficial to use an interlocking fiber configuration in which the 90° layers fail progressively to improve energy absorption.

FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSISFEA ModelTo understand the stress state of the arrester during the DCB tests, FEA was performed using a commercial software, Abaqus 2017 (Dassault Systems Inc.). The FEA model is shown in Figure 11. The stacking sequence of the adherends was [0]16

(thickness: 2.24 mm). The part dimensions were 200 mm length and 10 mm width, and symmetric boundary conditions were imposed in the width direction. The arrester was introduced at 110 mm from the tip of the model, and the 02

-90

2 and 0

2-90

1 specimens were modeled. Based on

the detailed observation using X-ray computed tomography and the microscope (Figure 12), the models were partitioned into parts, and the crack along the interface of the 0° layers and the peeling of the 90° layers were modeled as seam cracks (Figure 13)24. A displacement of 35 mm in the z-direction was applied at 30 mm from the tip of the model. The cracks were 87 and 96 mm long for the 02

-902 and 0

2-90

1 specimens, respectively, from

the loading place. Some adhesive regions were removed from the model to suppress the distortion of meshes. Because the stiffness of the adhesive

was significantly lower than that of the adherends and the arrester, this removal had little effect on the stress state of the arrester. The material property values used are summarized in Table 125,

26. An analysis with geometric nonlinearity was performed to simulate large deformation in the DCB tests.

T700SC/2592 FM300-2M

Elastic moduli [GPa] E11 135 2.4

E22 8.5

G12 4.8

G23 2.7

Poisson’s ratio n12 0.34 0.38

n23 0.49

Table 1. Material properties used in this study25, 26.



Figure 11. FEA model for DCB specimen.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONThe FEA results of the 0

2-90

2 specimen are shown

in Figure 14. The stress states in the fiber direction of the 0° and 90° layers are shown in Figure 14a and b. Only the arrester part is shown, excluding the adherends, to observe the state of the arrester. In the 0° layers, tensile stress is generated in the entire bridging part, and the maximum stress is 2.20 GPa near the crack tip. In the 90° layers, significant bending stress is generated in the

Figure 12. Micrograph of arrester part of DCB specimen.

(a)

(b)

Figure 13. Enlarged view of FEA model around crack arrester: (a) 02-902 and (b) 02-901 specimens.

bridging part so that the 0° layers do not peel off from the adherends, and the maximum stress is 2.18 GPa. There is no significant difference in the maximum stresses between the 0° and 90° layers. In this stress state, failure can occur in either the 0° or 90° layers. To examine how the final failure occurs, additional analysis was performed after breaking the 90° layers by 1 mm. In particular, the 90° layers of the arrester were removed from the model while keeping other conditions unchanged. When the


90° layers fail by 1 mm, the stress in the 90° layers decreases significantly, whereas the stress in the 0° layers increases (Figure 15). This result indicates that the damage to 90° layers is limited in the 02

-90

2 specimen, and the final failure is caused by the

breakage of the 0° layers. The FEA results of the 0

2-90

1 specimen are shown in Figure 16. The stress

states in the fiber direction of the 0° and 90° layers are shown in Figure 16a and b. The maximum stress is generated near the tip of the 90° layers for both 0° and 90° layers. In the 02

-901 specimen,

remarkably large stress is generated in the 90°

Figure 14. FEA results of 02-902 specimen. Stress states in fiber direction of (a) 0° and (b) 90° layers.

(a) (b)

Figure 15. FEA results of 02-902 specimen when 90° layers fail by 1 mm. Stress states in fiber direction of (a) 0° and (b) 90° layers.

(a) (b)

layers. Even after the 90° layers fail by 1 mm, higher stress is generated in the 90° layers (Figure 17). This implies that the 90° layers fail progressively from the tip, and this implication agrees with the experimental results. The 02

-901 specimen shows

excellent energy absorption characteristics owing to the progressive failure of the carbon fibers of the 90° layers. Therefore, it is possible to achieve the appropriate arrester performance to match the design requirements by changing the arrester configuration and controlling the failure pattern.



CONCLUSIONSAn interlocking-fiber-based crack arrester offers various advantages, such as cost, weight, and initial failure strength, when compared with the conventional mechanical fastening. In the present study, the effect of the interlocking-fiber-based crack arrester configuration on mode-I failure was evaluated through DCB tests and FEA. Based on the results, we recommend using an arrester configuration in which the 0° layers finally fail and more 0° layers for the arrester to improve the apparent mode-I fracture toughness.

Figure 16. FEA results of 02-901 specimen. Stress states in fiber direction of (a) 0° and (b) 90° layers.

(a) (b)

Figure 17. FEA results of 02-901 specimen when 90° layers fail by 1 mm. Stress states in fiber direction of (a) 0° and 90° layers.

(a) (b)

Furthermore, using an arrester configuration in which the 90° layers progressively fail before the 0° layers and increasing the failure of the 90° layers can significantly improve the energy absorption characteristics. It is possible to achieve appropriate arrester performance as per design requirements in each structural region by adopting the above measures. Further research is required to verify the applicability these findings to practical structural parts and develop an effective manufacturing method with automatic lamination technology.


ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThis work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP19J12856 and 17H03475.

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overview on the technology status in the context of the

certification boundary conditions addressing needs for

development”, Proceedings of The 19th International

Conference on Composite Materials, Montreal (2013).

2. A. Murdani, C. Makabe, A. Saimoto, R. Kondou, “A

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ABSTRACT

Nutplates are commonly used on aircraft to allow installation and removal of com-

ponents and panels for maintenance and repair. The use of bonded nutplates over

riveted ones reduces manufacturing complexity and leads to weight savings. In this work,

plasma surface preparation has been examined for bonding stainless steel nutplates to

aluminum structures. Preparation of these bond surfaces is often accomplished through

an abrasion process or using only a solvent wipe. These methods are difficult to control

and can lead to variation in the performance of bonded nutplates. Successful installa-

tion of bonded nutplates requires the generation of a highly clean and active bonding

surface. A small, portable plasma device was used to clean individual nutplates within

a few seconds. In addition, a handheld plasma tool was used to prepare the nutplate

installation site. The plasma process eliminates operator variability by removing surface

contaminants in a matter of seconds with no other cleaning steps required. The bond

surface is rendered active for bonding and converted to a high surface energy, hydrophil-

ic state. This new technology eliminates interfacial bond failures while increasing push-

off strength from 441±34 lbs to 845±74 lbs and torque-out strength from 100±18 in·lbs to

159±27 in·lbs when compared with abrasion. Furthermore, the plasma has been shown to

reduce preparation time, decrease variability and lower the instances of nutplate failures

both in manufacturing and in the aircraft service environment. Transitioning to a plas-

ma-based surface preparation thereby offers the potential to save millions of dollars over

the life cycle of an aircraft.

Plasma Surface Preparation for Optimum Nutplate Performance

Thomas S. Williams, Graham Ray, Demetrious L. Lloyd and Robert F. Hicks

Surfx Technologies, LLC, Redondo Beach, CA

FEATURE

Optimum Nutplate Performance


INTRODUCTIONBonded fasteners, such as nutplates, are used ex-tensively in aerospace manufacturing. Nutplates are bonded to an aircraft structure and receive bolt-type fasteners to hold removable components on the aircraft. Significant effort has been expended in recent years to understand the surface prepara-tion mechanisms and bonding properties of these nutplate assemblies. Throughout the industry, fail-ures of bonded nutplates have been reported as a significant source of unscheduled maintenance on modern aircraft1-3. Subsequent failure analysis in-dicated that surface preparation is a critical factor in the performance of bonded nutplates.

Although bonded nutplates eliminate the need to drill extra rivet holes, the typical surface prepa-ration processes used prior to installation are still somewhat labor intensive. Prior to applying adhe-sive to the nutplates, they must be cleaned. This often involves the use of solvent wiping, sanding or even grit blasting. The structural component to which the fastener is bonded can consist of a vari-ety of materials including thermoset and thermo-plastic composites along with a variety of different metals. These structural elements must also be prepped prior to installation of the fastener. One of

the most common surface preparation methods is hand sanding. This process is subject to operator variability, which can lead to improperly prepared surfaces with weak bonds that fail after installa-tion and result in time consuming and expensive repairs.

Among alternative surface preparation tech-niques, atmospheric pressure plasma has been shown to be an effective method for forming strong adhesive bonds between a wide variety of dissim-ilar adherend materials4-12. Plasma treatment can reduce the water contact angle of metal and com-posite surfaces below 20o, yielding a high energy surface which is ideal for bonding. Plasma activa-tion was explored as a method for surface pretreat-ment prior to the installation of adhesively bonded nutplates on BMI and epoxy composite substrates using CB301 and CB200 adhesive9,10. Plasma ac-tivation of the BMI substrates showed a number of beneficial results when compared to surface preparation by solvent wiping and abrasion. Plas-ma activation of the BMI was shown to drive bond failure away from the interface and to increase the strength of the BMI-nutplate bond. Plasma treatment increased mechanical loads by 25% for push-off and 23% for torque-out tests on average6.

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Similar results have been observed on other sub-strate materials including bare metal, anodized and primed aluminum 70758.

Through this work, it has been observed that proper preparation of the nutplate surface is essen-tial for achieving strong, reliable bonded nutplates. Analysis of the specimens after mechanical testing indicated that the nutplate interface is often the weak link of the bonded assembly. Consequently, there has been a need to develop an alternative nutplate surface preparation technique. Prepara-tion of the nutplate via solvent wiping consistent-ly resulted in interfacial bond failures when using CB301 adhesive6,7. While grit blasting was capable of producing strong bonded nutplates, this meth-od is time consuming and impractical in most nut-plate installation settings. Meanwhile, plasma was shown to rapidly produce strong bonded nutplates and to eliminate the occurrence of interfacial fail-ures at the nutplate surface.

In order to improve on the drawbacks that are inherent in manual abrasive preparation methods, Surfx Technologies has produced two purpose-built plasma devices for optimal surface preparation of the nutplate and structure. In order to establish a dependable, high quality bond, a portable plasma device has been developed that cleans a nutplate seconds. Used in concert with a handheld plasma source for the substrate, a fast and reliable surface preparation technique is realized for installing bonded fasteners on aerospace structures.

Additional work was needed to expand the scope of these previous studies by exploring ad-ditional substrates and adhesives as well as opti-mizing the plasma process conditions. This work continues the examination of atmospheric plasma cleaning and activation for bonded nutplate instal-lation. The novel plasma devices have been used to demonstrate this plasma technique as a replace-ment for abrasion processes. The plasma process

can also be tailored to any specific combination of adhesive, fastener type and substrate material. Below, results are presented for the surface prepa-ration of unprimed, stainless steel nutplates and aluminum substrate coupons using atmospheric pressure plasma.

EXPERIMENTAL METHODSMaterialsDome-style (CB6010 CR3) and open-end style (CB6003 CR4) nutplates were used along with CB301 epoxy adhesive from Click Bond, Inc. and Epibond 1544-1 epoxy adhesive from Huntsman. Aluminum sheets made from alloys 7075, 6061 and 2024 were used for substrate materials. The substrate materials were machined into 2” x 8” coupons. A schematic of the test coupon with the locations of the five holes is shown in Figure 1. Five equidistant holes were drilled into the center of the rectangular coupon.

Solvent WipingSubstrate surfaces were cleaned with Dysol DS-108 solvent or isopropyl alcohol (IPA) using DuPont Sontara lint-free cloth wipes. This process consist-ed of three steps: a one directional dry wipe, a one directional wipe with the cloth saturated with the solvent, and a final one directional dry wipe.

Grit BlastingPrior to bonding, one subset of the nutplates and substrate coupons were grit blasted using a King #4004-0 grit blasting cabinet. Grit blasting was per-formed using fresh Elfusa ALR 240 grit aluminum oxide media with an air compressor regulated to 80 lbs. of pressure. Each item was grit blasted with the gun nozzle kept between 45 and 90 degrees to the bonding surface. An approximate distance of 10 cm was maintained between the nozzle and the sur-face. Samples were abraded until a matte finish was

Figure 1. Schematic of nutplate test coupon with dimensions.

FEATURE / OPTIMUM NUTPLATE PERFORMANCE


achieved. Residual debris was removed with clean, dry air. Grit blasted parts were finally wiped with lint-free towels soaked in DS-108 prior to bonding. The surface was solvent cleaned until no residue came off the surface, and finally dry wiped with a clean cloth.

Plasma Surface ActivationA Surfx Technologies® Atomflo™ plasma con-troller was used for the preparation of both the substrate and the nutplate surfaces. The Atomflo actively controls and monitors all plasma process conditions and logs this information for future reference. Plasma activation of the nutplates was achieved using the Nutplate Plasma Cleaner™, or NPC. The NPC, also developed by Surfx, is a surface preparation tool specifically designed for nutplates and other bonded fasteners. An image of this tool is provided in Figure 2. Industrial grade helium and oxygen were fed into the NPC at 30 liters per min-ute (LPM) and 0.2 LPM, respectively. The plasma was ignited using 80 W of RF power at 27.12 MHz. Unless stated otherwise, the nutplate was inserted into the NPC for 5 seconds and then removed.

Figure 3 shows an image of the NPC in use. The nutplate is seated into the NPC and a plasma dis-charge is generated beneath the bonding surface. Reactive species from the plasma rapidly remove surface contaminants leaving behind a clean and active surface. The high surface energy imparted by the plasma cleaning process is ideal for adhesive bonding applications. The NPC can be configured to treat any size and style of fastener.

Plasma activation of the substrate coupons was achieved with the Surfx Aircraft Plasma Cleaner™, or APC. The APC features a hexagonal, showerhead plasma source affixed to a flexible handle. An image

Figure 2. Surfx® Nutplate Plasma Cleaner™ with nutplate inserted.

Figure 3. Nutplate Plasma Cleaner cleaning a nutplate and exhibiting blue light from the plasma glow.


of this device is presented in Figure 4. The handle contains integrated timer and status lights to assist the user by presenting all system information nec-essary to operate the tool. A built-in timer function allows the user to initiate a 5 second blinking light. The width of the hexagonal showerhead pattern is 1”. Standoff pins around the plasma head maintain a 2 mm distance when the APC is pressed against the material being activated. The plasma was operated at 165 W of RF power using 30 LPM of helium and 0.58 LPM of oxygen. To prepare the material surface, plasma is generated inside the source and the reac-tive gasses flow out onto the substrate below. The showerhead end of the device was placed directly onto the substrate and centered around the nutplate installation hole. The plasma was kept over each in-stallation site for a period of 5 seconds.

Hand AbrasionA subset of the nutplates and structure coupons were prepared using manual abrasion. Abrasion of the substrates was achieved using Scotch-Brite™ 7447 pads. Prior to abrasion, the solvent wiping step was performed, and the surface was abraded by hand until a matte finish was visible. Following abrasion, another solvent wipe step was performed and repeated until no residue was observed on the wipe. It was then given a final dry wipe.

Bond ProcedureAll samples were bonded within 20 minutes of the surface activation processes. A set of at least five bonded nutplates was produced for each test. Ad-hesive was applied to the nutplates in a single bead around the elastic fixture of the nutplate. The fix-ture was then pulled through the installation hole in the structure coupon until the nutplate sat firmly against the surface with a visible bead of adhesive around the edges. Coupons were then allowed to cure for a minimum of 72 hours before testing.

Water Contact AngleWater contact angle (WCA) of the test coupons was measured using a Surface Analyst™ (model SA3001) manufactured by BTG Labs. The WCA of

the nutplates before and after surface treatment was obtained using a Krüss DSA15B EasyDrop digi-tal goniometer with DSA3 software package.

Push-Off TestingPush-off testing followed the requirements of NASM 25027 (reference para. 4.5.3.5)13. Mechanical push testing was performed on an Instron (mod-el 3369). A custom push off tool sized for the nut element of the nutplate was attached to a 50 kN load cell. It was lowered into the nutplate until it engaged the nut. Load was applied at a rate of 0.05 inches per minute until failure occurred.

Torque Out TestingTorque out testing followed the requirements of NASM 25027 (reference para. 4.5.3.4)13. The sub-strates were placed into a test fixture which con-sisted of a channel to hold the test coupons and fixturing for mounting a 0-100 ft∙lb torque wrench with memory needle made by CDI (model 1003LD-FNSS). The torque wrench was attached to an ex-tractor tool which allowed it to engage with the nut element to perform the toque-out test. Prior to testing, the torque wrench memory needle was set to zero, and then torque was applied to the nut-plate until the joint failed.

Failure Mode AnalysisFollowing mechanical testing, the failure mode of the disbanded assembly was analyzed. Images were taken of the bond region for each substrate and nutplate. Four different failure modes were identified: interfacial/adhesive failure at the sub-strate, interfacial/adhesive failure at the nutplate, cohesive failure within the adhesive and mechani-cal failure of the nutplate. Images of each substrate were processed through an internally developed computer algorithm, which overlaid the various failure modes as different colored pixels on the original image. These results were visually checked against the substrate and nutplate to confirm accu-racy. Finally, the number of pixels of a given color was compiled and divided by the total number of pixels to yield the percentage of each failure mode.

Figure 4. Aircraft Plasma Cleaner with 1” wide hexagonal showerhead plasma source.



RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONWater Contact AngleWater contact angle measurements as a function of the nutplate surface preparation are summarized below in Table 16,7. The nutplates with no surface preparation exhibited a WCA of 139±2°. This is a very large contact angle that suggests the surface of the nutplate is contaminated during storage re-sulting in a non-wetting and extremely hydropho-bic surface. A solvent wipe of the nutplate surface results in a contact angle which is still hydropho-bic. Plasma activation of the nutplate produces a hydrophilic surface by decreasing the WCA from 114±2° after DS-108 wiping to less than 5° after plasma activation. The nutplates which were acti-vated by the NPC exhibit super hydrophilic wetting behavior which is also significantly lower than grit blasting which yielded a 33±3° WCA.

Figure 5 shows images taken from the Krüss goniometer of water droplets on the stainless steel nutplates. The droplet on the left of Figure 5 was measured after solvent wiping with DS-108 and the droplet in the image on the right was after cleaning with the Nutplate Plasma Cleaner. The water drop-let is observed to bead up on the solvent wiped sample. The water exhibits a very large contact angle that indicates a non-wetting, hydrophobic surface. This is in stark contrast to the behavior of the nutplate after cleaning and activation with the NPC. The water droplet spreads out on this surface due to the strong attractive forces between the wa-ter and the nutplate surface. This is indicative of complete wetting and is a necessary condition for producing a strong adhesive bond.

The Aircraft Plasma Cleaner (APC) has been demonstrated to activate a wide variety of the materials that are typically used as the structural components for nutplate assemblies. This includes multiple composite resin systems and aluminum 70758-10. Data gathered previously using 7075 alu-minum8 is presented alongside data for aluminum alloys 6061 and 2024. The effects of plasma surface preparation compared to hand abrasion and sol-vent wiping are summarized in Table 2. The water contact angle on the bare aluminum 7075 was re-duced from 71±7° to 45±4° following surface abra-sion. The contact angle was improved by a 5 second exposure to the APC in lieu of the abrasion process. This yielded a wetting angle of 10±1°. Anodized aluminum 7075 had its WCA reduced from 55±4° to 42±1° following surface abrasion compared to 25±1° after plasma treatment. It should be noted that the abrasion process has a damaging effect on the anodization layer which is removed during surface preparation. Meanwhile, cleaning and ac-tivation with the APC uses a non-ablative process which leaves the anodization intact. For the 6061

Nutplate Preparation WCA (°)

None 139±2°

Solvent Wipe 128±2°

Grit Blast 33±3°

Plasma <5°

Table 1. Water contact angle for nutplates following different surface preparation.

Figure 5. Images of a 1 mL water drop on a stainless steel nutplate after DS-108 solvent cleaning (left) and after cleaning and activation with the Surfx NPC (right).


alloy, the aluminum WCA was found to be 68±7° af-ter being solvent wiped and 48±6° when abraded. When plasma treated, the WCA dropped to 25±4°. The same trend is observed in the aluminum 2024 data. Here the water contact angle is 79±6° after solvent wiping which can be reduced to 51±4° with abrasion or further reduced to 28±4° when using the APC. While not as drastic as the nutplate treat-ment, this reduction shows a significant increase in the aluminum surface energy following plasma cleaning and activation.

Typically, poor bond performance is expected from hydrophobic surfaces especially those with large water contact angles like the ones exhibited by the solvent wiped nutplates. Hydrophilic surfaces, on the other hand, are indicative of higher surface energies which typically lead to increased bond performance. The wetting angle of the nutplate and the aluminum substrate surface after sanding is drastically lower than that obtained beforehand. However, only plasma exposure transformed the extremely hydrophobic surface after solvent wip-ing (WCA >120°) to an extremely hydrophilic sur-face with WCA <5°. Similar trends are observed for the aluminum substrates though the differences in water contact angle are less extreme. The extreme-ly low water contact angle achieved by the NPC in-dicates that the plasma has successfully removed any contaminants present on the nutplate bonding surface. In addition, the surface energy of the nut-plate has been maximized by the plasma cleaning process. This ensures that the nutplate is optimally prepared for installation.

Push-Off TestingPush-off testing was performed using the dome style CB6010 CR3 nutplates. The maximum load before failure for the bonded nutplates was tested and is summarized in Figure 6. For push-off test-ing, aluminum 6061 substrates were prepared us-ing a consistent surface preparation by grit blasting all of the substrate materials. This was done in or-der to limit the number of variables and ensure that any difference in performance was the result of the nutplate surface preparation. The nutplates with an IPA wipe disbonded at a load of 345±23 lbs. This increased to 441±34 lbs following abrasion. When using only a 5 second cleaning with the NPC, the maximum load for the nutplates after plasma was 845±74 lbs.

Figure 7 shows images of the nutplate and substrate coupon after push-off testing. Nutplates bonded using the IPA wipe or abrasion exhibited a high degree of interfacial failure mode between

Material Surface Finish Surface Prep WCA (°)


Aluminum 7075 Bare Metal Abrasion 45±4°

Plasma 10±1°


Aluminum 7075 Anodized Abrasion 42±1°

Plasma 25±1°



Plasma 25±4°



Plasma 23±4°

Table 2. Water contact angle of multiple aluminum alloys after surface preparation.

Figure 6. Maximum load for nutplates bonded to aluminum for varying sur-face preparation methods.

Figure 7. Bond failure interfaces after IPA wipe (left), abrasion (center) and plasma (right).



Adhesive Surface Prep Torque (in·lbs)

CB301 Abrasion 100±18

Plasma 159±27

Epibond 1544-1 Abrasion 90±18

Plasma 162±12

Figure 8. Change in maximum push-off load with plasma exposure time for nutplates bonded to aluminum.

the nutplate and adhesive. This points towards the nutplate surface preparation method being the principle processing step that determines the ulti-mate failure load for these bonds. In contrast, the plasma cleaned nutplate shown on the right in Fig-ure 7 exhibits cohesive failure as evidenced by the presence of large pieces of adhesive still bonded to both the nutplate and substrate bond area. The re-flective metal of the nutplate is no longer visible, and instead the green color of the CB301 adhesive is observed on the nutplate surface. This demon-strates that the plasma cleaning achieves a stronger and more reliable bond when compared to the IPA wipe or hand abrasion.

Figure 8 shows the maximum loads experienced for nutplates prepared with different duration of plasma cleaning prior to bonding. The push-off loads increase rapidly when going from the control, or 0 second exposure, which were IPA wiped. After only 1 second of cleaning with the NPC, the maxi-mum load before failure was increased from 404±85 lbs to 816±48 lbs. Plasma activation for 3 seconds more than doubles the bond strength compared to those that were IPA wiped. The maximum bond strength of 896±16 lbs is achieved after 3 seconds and then levels off for longer durations. Further in-creasing the length of plasma exposure time does not lead to additional bond strength improvement.

For the nutplates which were given 3 seconds or more of plasma cleaning, the failure mode of the disbonded nutplates changes so that the nutplates exhibit predominantly cohesive failure (shown in Figure 7) along with some instances of mechan-ical nutplate failure. Under these circumstances, increasing the load at failure is not possible. The bond strength is no longer limited by the interface

Table 3. Torque-out load for nutplates bonded with CB301 or Epibond 1544-1 adhesive.

between the nutplate and adhesive. The weakest point in the bonded assembly is now a function of the cohesive strength within the adhesive, or in the case of mechanical failure it is limited by the me-chanical strength of the nutplate itself.

Torque-Out TestingTorque-out testing was performed using CB6003 CR4 nutplates. The maximum resistance to failure under torsional load for nutplates bonded to alu-minum coupons is summarized in Table 3. Two

Figure 9. Bond failure interfaces after torque-out testing for a nutplate and corresponding test coupon that was abraded (left) and activated with plas-ma (right).


different epoxy adhesives were used for the torque-out testing. One set of samples was bonded using Click Bond CB301 adhesive while the other was bonded using Epibond 1544-1. For each nutplate test coupon, substrate and nutplate were either both abraded or both cleaned with plasma. Both adhesives exhibit similar results with the sanded sample having a maximum torque of 100±18 in-∙lbs for the CB301 adhesive and 90±18 in∙lbs for the Epibond 1544-1. Plasma activation results in a sig-nificant improvement in performance. The average torsional load at failure was 159±27 in∙lbs when us-ing CB301 and 162±12 in∙lbs using Epibond 1544-1. As a result, plasma processing proved to be a viable way to maximize the bond performance of these nutplates.

Following torque-out testing, failure modes for each nutplate were determined. Figure 9 shows two examples of the bond failure interface observed with Epibond 1544-1. It is apparent that the lower bond strength for the abraded samples reported in Table 3 can be attributed to weak interfacial in-teractions on the nutplate surface. These bonded nutplates exhibited complete interfacial adhesion failure at the nutplate. Examining both the nut-plate and aluminum coupon together shows no adhesive remaining on the nutplate surface and the aluminum coupon shows adhesive still present over the entire bond area. The image on the right in Figure 9 shows a dramatic difference in the fail-ure mode exhibited after using the plasma device. Significant amounts of adhesive material are ob-served on both bond surfaces. This is indicative of cohesive failure and means that in these regions, the interfacial strength of the nutplate surface is no longer the weakest point in the bondline. The in-terfacial strength generated by the plasma surface preparation is high enough to force failure into the adhesive itself.

The failure modes observed in Figure 9 are con-sistent with those that were obtained from push-off testing. Torque-out testing has shown that sanded nutplate surfaces often exhibit interfacial failures at the nutplate indicating that the bond strength can be increased by improving the surface prepa-ration process for the nutplate. Bonding the plas-ma cleaned nutplates with either of the epoxy ad-hesives yields high quality bonded nutplates. The mechanical strength exceeds that achievable with abrasion as shown in Figure 6 and Table 3. Also beneficial, is the ability of plasma activation to shift bond failure away from the interface.

The push-off and torque-out results are in good agreement with the trends observed during previous testing when plasma was used to clean nutplates prior to bonding on BMI and epoxy composites6,9,10. Plasma cleaned nutplates bonded


to BMI composite produced bonds with 3.6x the push-out load and 1.9x the torque-out load as a nutplate bonded immediately after removal from its individual packaging. The push-off and torque-out testing showed that plasma cleaning produces a bond strength which far exceeds industry stan-dard minimum requirements13. This shows that the nutplate surface preparation is robust and can be applied to nutplates bonded to structural elements made from a wide variety of materials.

CONCLUSIONSIn this study, two novel plasma devices were used to prepare the surfaces of stainless steel nutplates and aluminum structural coupons prior to bond-ing. Using these devices, namely the Nutplate Plasma Cleaner (NPC) and Aircraft Plasma Cleaner (APC) from Surfx Technologies, eliminates operator variability from the surface preparation process. The entire process, including plasma activation of the aluminum substrate, plasma activation of the nutplate, application of the adhesive and nutplate installation, can be completed in less than 30 sec-onds.

This work has shown that atmospheric pres-sure plasma treatment is a desirable method for replacing solvent wiping and hand abrasion when preparing fasteners and the corresponding sub-strates for bonding. Using the NPC removes sur-face contaminants in a matter of seconds with no other cleaning steps required. The fastener is ren-dered active for bonding and converted to a high surface energy, hydrophilic state. Plasma signifi-cantly reduces interfacial failure modes and leads to a dramatic improvement in bond quality. This resulted in nutplates which exhibited cohesive fail-ure within the adhesive or mechanical failure of the fastener after push-off and torque-out testing. This means the bond created by the plasma can be stronger than the mechanical limits of the fastener!

In addition to improving warfighter readiness, plasma surface activation offers numerous manu-facturing advantages including increased bond re-liability, reduced rework, lower materials costs, and better labor utilization. ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThis effort is the continuation of multi-year pro-grams dedicated to understanding the bonding mechanism and the bond properties of nutplates. This article includes references to previous work which was funded through an SBIR with the Air Force Research Laboratory and a program with Navy ManTech.


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6. Williams, T., Hogikyan, A., Mauricio, J., Grigoriev M.,

Hicks, R., “Plasma Surface Preparation of Bismaleimide

Composites and Stainless Steel Nutplates For Bonding,”

CAMX Technical Conference, Anaheim (2016).

7. Williams, T., Grigoriev, M., Mauricio, J., Hicks, R., “Atmo-

spheric Plasma Preparation of Stainless Steel Nutplates

for Improved Adhesive Bonding,” SAMPE Technical Con-

ference, Seattle (2017).

8. Powers, C., Williams, T., Hicks, R., “Plasma Surface

Preparation of Nutplates And Bonded Fasteners on Met-

al and Composite Surfaces,” SAMPE Technical Confer-

ence, Long Beach (2018).

9. Mitchell, C., Williams, T., Oakley, B., Powers, C., Con-

nery, M., “Plasma Surface Preparation for Bonding Nut-

plates to Composite Substrates,” SAMPE Technical Con-

ference, Long Beach (2018).

10. Mitchell, C., “Plasma Prep of Composite Substrates

for Nutplate Bonding,” AeroDef Technical Conference,

Long Beach (2019).

11. Williams, T., Yu, H., Yeh, P., Yang, J., Hicks, R., “Atmo-

spheric Pressure Plasma Effects on the Adhesive Bond-

ing Properties of Stainless Steel and Epoxy Composites,”

Journal of Composite Materials, 48 (2014).

12. Williams, T., Yu, H., Hicks, R., “Atmospheric Pressure

Plasma Activation of Polymers and Composites for Ad-

hesive Bonding: A Critical Review,” Reviews of Adhesion

and Adhesives, 1 (2013).

13. National Aerospace Standards Committee,

“NASM25027” (2012).

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FEATURE

ABSTRACT

Pioneering plasma technologies from Plasmatreat are the key to progress in the

automotive industry. They produce high-quality surfaces with selected characteris-

tics, enable new material combinations and ensure environmentally friendly manufac-

turing processes. As such, they lay the foundations for high-tech innovative mobility

and vehicle concepts such as lightweight engineering, autonomous driving and elec-

tromobility. Process-reliable, cost-effective and fully automated.

Towards a New Era in Automotive Engineering with Plasma

Anne-Laureen Lauven

Plasmatreat GmbH

Queller Straße, Steinhagen, Germany

AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING WITH PLASMA


INTRODUCTIONThe automotive industry is undergoing radical change: With electromobility, autonomous driving, intelligent sensor systems and lightweight engi-neering in the spotlight, innovative materials and complex material combinations are creating new challenges for manufacturers. Surface treatment is particularly important in this context, because careful pretreatment of individual components and assemblies forms the basis for long-time sta-ble adhesive bonds, optimal paint adhesion and reliable corrosion protection. The atmospheric pressure plasma treatment is one of the most effi-cient methods of cleaning, activating and coating surfaces.

PLASMA: THE PRESENT AND FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING“Plasma is generated by harnessing the energy in gaseous material through the removal of individual electrons from the electron shell surrounding the gas atoms. This produces a highly unstable ener-gy level which modifies the surface characteristics of solid materials. We use this principle to modify surfaces and material characteristics in a targeted manner”, explains Joachim Schüßler, Sales Direc-tor at Plasmatreat, a world market leader in at-

mospheric plasma technology. Pretreatment with Openair-Plasma significantly increases the adhe-sion capacity and wettability of surfaces in a pre-cisely adjustable manner. This makes it possible to use entirely new (even non-polar) materials and environmentally friendly, solvent-free (VOC-free) paints and adhesives on an industrial scale.

When the plasma comes into contact with the surface of the plastic, a “functionalization” takes place. This is because the excited plasma molecules and ions have sufficient energy to break the bonds between the atoms in the plastic polymer chains. Often these are carbon-carbon or carbon-hydro-gen bonds. The radicals released from the broken bonds react with the excited molecules and ions of the plasma or with molecules in the ambient air. This increases both the surface energy and the po-larity of the treated surfaces, leading to improved wettability of the plastic.

PLASMA TECHNOLOGY FOR NEW MOBILITY AND VEHICLE CONCEPTSAs a long-standing partner of the automotive in-dustry, we have developed pioneering innovations for more than 100 components which satisfy strict requirements for process reliability, reproducibil-ity, quality and efficiency and support progress in

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the industry. Openair-Plasma technology is now firmly established as a key technology in an ev-er-increasing number of applications; several lead-ing automotive manufacturers have now integrat-ed it permanently into their production lines. This success can be attributed to the ease-of-use, high effectiveness and in-line capabilities of plasma treating processes. They enable plasma treatments to be performed under normal pressure, are fully automatable and can be incorporated into existing manufacturing processes with ease. Furthermore, they guarantee perfectly pretreated surfaces, max-imum process control (including traceability) and area-selective applications – with the added bene-fit of low running costs.

HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PLASMA CLEANING AND ACTIVATIONWhether for vehicle sensors, battery modules/bat-tery packs or electric vehicles, plasma treatments using these technologies are key to progress in the automotive industry. Possible applications range from pretreating structural bonds with Ope-nair-Plasma, sealing sensitive electronics and pro-

ducing flawless paint finishes to using PlasmaPlus nanocoating to create highly effective functional coatings.

Innovative plasma technology processes also come into their own in the production of electric drive and storage systems as shown in Figure 1. The long-time stability of a battery pack is one of the most important factors when it comes to electro-mobility today. The battery’s thermal management system and the insulation of individual battery cells are critical in this respect. To prevent an in-ternal short-circuit, the bonding medium between the individual cells in a cell stack must have an in-sulating effect. Consequently, polyurethane adhe-sives are normally used for this purpose. Microfine cleaning and activation of the outer casing of the cell (normally aluminum) is essential to achieve a precise insulating bond with optimum adhesive characteristics, because aluminum and other met-als are often contaminated with undefined oxide layers, wafer-thin layers of dust or traces of resi-due from the production process such as release agents, lubricants, cutting oils and drawing grease. These impurities diminish the effectiveness of the surface energy naturally present in the aluminum which largely determines the strength of an adhe-sive bond.

Plasma cleaning removes dust deposits, oxide layers, grease and other contaminants. After clean-ing, the surface energy of the substrate is restored to optimum levels to ensure complete, homoge-nous wettability of the treated surface with paints or adhesives. The high energy level of the plasma can fragment the structure of chemical and organic substances on the surface of the material in a tar-geted manner. Furthermore, the deionizing effect of the plasma beam neutralizes loose particles of

FEATURE / AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING WITH PLASMA

Figure 1. The highly effective, process-reliable and fully automated plasma treatments from Plasmatreat are key technologies in the production of elec-tric drive and storage systems for the electromobility sector.

Figure 2. Openair-Plasma pre-treatment of pris-matic cells. Cleaning and activation lay the foun-dations for a precise adhesive bond with optimum adhesive characteristics.


dust and removes them from the surface of the material. At the same time, the surface is activat-ed through the incorporation of functional groups containing oxygen and nitrogen into the substrate. Activation binds free radicals to the material sur-face, preventing air pockets and ensuring optimum heat dissipation to guarantee full nominal perfor-mance of the battery cells (Figure 2).

EFFECTIVE, LONG-TIME STABLE CORRO-SION PROTECTION From individual cells to battery modules and packs, effective treatment processes play an im-portant part in ensuring that strict requirements for cell efficiency, process stability and cost-effec-tiveness are met in a range of process steps (Figure 3). For instance, plasma treatments ensure a strong adhesive bond between the metal and the plastic when bonding cell stacks to insulating polypropyl-ene strips, eliminate impurities on electrical con-tact surfaces and ensure that die-cast aluminum battery housings are fully sealed. The housing cov-er that seals the battery module must be complete-ly sealed to prevent the penetration of moisture or other corrosive media. The key to achieving this level of seal-tightness is to define and test the sur-face condition before applying the seals.

Regardless of the type of sealing system (sprayed, bonded or FIPG), aluminum and plastic composites are highly susceptible to subsurface migration on account of their different affinity to water. PlasmaPlus plasma-polymer nanocoating provides highly effective protection. After cleaning and activation with Openair-Plasma, the nano-coating is applied to the metal component to en-sure a media-tight bond in the downstream in-jection molding process. It provides exceptional,

long-time stable corrosion protection by forming a highly effective barrier against corrosive electro-lytes (Figure 4).

Specific additives can be added to the plasma via a special nozzle head. Plasma excitation greatly enhances the reactivity of these additives, thereby ensuring optimal deposition and secure bonding to the material surface during plasma coating. The resulting coating provides the greatest possible protection from moisture ingress. According to Joa-chim Schüßler, apart from its suitability for in-line use and high process reliability, the main advan-tage of this technology compared with wet-chemi-cal and diverse other pretreatment methods is the area selectivity of the plasma beam. Furthermore, it is a dry, environmentally friendly process with no associated disposal costs and the components can be further processed immediately after pretreat-ment.

Figure 3. Plasma treatments can be used in cleaning, activation and coating steps to optimize cell efficiency, process stability and cost effectiveness in battery production processes.

Figure 4. The treatment of electronic control units and sensors with Ope-nair-Plasma guarantees long-time-stable adhesive bonds and reliable corro-sion protection.


Selective Modification of Material CharacteristicsCorrosion protection is not the only application for PlasmaPlus. By incorporating different coating materials (precursors), surfaces can be selective-ly functionalized and given new characteristics in order to satisfy specific product requirements. The automotive industry is also harnessing other bene-ficial effects. For example, nanocoatings with active adhesion are used in hybrid injection molding to produce long-time stable rubber-to-metal or plas-tic-to-metal bonds, while anti-adhesion coatings create water- and dirt-repellent surfaces (Figure 5).

Sensors, headlights and camera systems also benefit from PlasmaPlus polymerization. Hydro-phobic anti-fog coatings prevent lenses misting up with water or condensation to ensure optimum visibility even under extremely damp conditions (Figure 6). This process will become particularly important as attention increasingly turns to driv-er assistance systems and autonomous vehicles, since sensors are the eyes and ears of the cars of the future. LiDAR sensors (light detection and rang-ing) scan their environment with lasers to obtain detailed information about distances, speeds and objects. This creates an exact 3D image of the sur-roundings – the basis for the vehicle navigation sys-tem. Clear visibility is absolutely essential to ensure maximum reliability and safety.

USING PLASMA TO JOIN PREVIOUSLY IN-COMPATIBLE MATERIALSWhether for electronics, battery, chassis, drive-train, body or interior – plasma treatments have


Figure 5. Automated vehicles navigate using a range of sensors. Anti-fog coatings from Plasmatreat prevent lenses misting up to ensure optimum vis-ibility even under extremely damp conditions.

Figure 6. The insulating, adhesion-promoting PlasmaPlus coatings from en-sure reliable adhesion and a completely tight seal to protect sensors, camer-as and electronics from harmful environmental influences

Expert-Tech-Sales-sampe-quarterpage.indd 1 1/25/18 1:14 PM

long been an intrinsic part of automo-tive manufacturing. They create stable bonds, protect surfaces, facilitate new, environmentally friendly production processes and make a major contri-bution to reducing costs. In fact, they are often the only technical solution available for bonding the new mate-rials and complex material blends in-creasingly used in modern lightweight construction, to give one example. Nowadays, for instance, vehicle ex-terior parts are mainly made from composite materials such as glass fi-ber-reinforced plastic (GFRP) or plas-tic-metal composites (Figure 7). These materials reduce the weight and in-crease the range of electric vehicles as well as reducing the fuel consumption of conventional drive systems. Howev-


er, since the base materials often have very different surface qualities, they cannot be bonded effectively, or indeed at all, without pretreatment.

A range of components are pretreated with Ope-nair-Plasma to prepare them for bonding, including vehicle roofs (fixing the plastic parts of the sunroof to the coated stainless steel or anodized aluminum frame with 1-component polyurethane adhesive), trunk lids (bonding two polypropylene plastics with a 2-compo-nent polyurethane adhesive) or windscreens (bonding glass ceramic surfaces to the metal body) (Figure 8). Environmentally friendly, VOC-free and fully autom-atable plasma treatments offer distinct advantages over conventional methods such as solvent-based adhesion promoters (primers) or flame treatments on account of their reliable adhesion, high process avail-ability and easy in-line integration.

MAXIMUM PROCESS RELIABILITYThe high level of process control is another plus point. Spectral monitoring of the plasma beam ensures that the plasma quality is consistently high: A sensor in the plasma nozzle measures the light emitted by the plasma using a single-channel optical detection sys-tem. The amplitude of the emitted light in the rele-vant spectral range is continually analyzed. If devia-tions occur, the intensity of the plasma beam can be correspondingly adjusted. A motion control system also monitors the forward and rotational speed of the plasma nozzle. To ensure that process-specific plasma characteristics (temperature, intensity) can be repro-duced, various monitoring units to suit all require-ments are offered. All process data are provided in real time, while the HMI ensures a high level of data accessibility (Figure 9). Furthermore, process data are logged to make them available for subsequent analysis and evaluation.

Figure 7. Openair-Plasma pretreatment of GFRP hooThe plasma ensures complete, homogenous wettability of the treated surface with paints or adhesives.

Figure 8. The plastic components of the sunroof are cleaned and activated with Openair-Plasma® before be-ing bonded to the coated stainless steel or anodized alu-minum frame to ensure high adhesive strength and long-time stable bonding.

Figure 9. The entire plasma process offers extensive scope for precise process management and control to ensure the highest possible level of process reliability.


With Industry 4.0 in mind, the interoperable system components (plasma control unit and gen-erator) have been designed for use in intelligent process lines. Connection is via EtherCAT/CAN open gateways. This means that interfaces are de-fined in a way that allows them to be used for au-tomation systems. They can also be integrated into existing production lines and network infrastruc-tures.

OPENAIR-PLASMA – A DRIVER FOR CHANGE IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRYThere is no question that mobility is changing, and with it the demands made on the automotive industry. With Openair-Plasma technology, Plas-matreat provides a process-reliable, effective and environmentally friendly solution which raises sur-face pretreatments to a new level. At the same time, the innovative technology satisfies current process requirements for mass production in full, including reproducible process flows, high system reliability, low manufacturing tolerances, consistent quality levels and data-assisted automation.

REFERENCES

1. https://www.plasmatreat.de/industrieanwendungen/

plasmavorbehandlung_im_automobilbau.html.

2. https://www.plasmatreat.de/plasmatechnologie/ope-

nair-plasmatechnik.html.

3. https://www.plasmatreat.de/plasmabehandlung/proz-

esse/funktionsbeschichtung_plasma_nanobeschich-

tung.html.

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Epoxy and urethane tooling resins and component systems

Complete Vacuum Bagging Consumables Line

Critical wiping cloths, Rymplecloth® and tack cloths

4. JOT Journal Oberflächen Technik: „Plasma processes

reduce costs in automotive manufacturing“ (https://www.

jot-oberflaeche.de/zeitschrift/heftarchiv/artikel/plasmaver-

fahren-senken-kosten-in-der-pkw-fertigung-2548773.html,

https://www.plasmatreat.co.uk/images/press/03-2020_

JOT-Plasma-technology.pdf).

5. Kunststoffe International: “More Material Combinations,

Lower Costs: InMould-Plasma Streamlines the 2-Compo-

nent Process and Expands the Material-Spectrum “ (https://

www.kunststoffe.de/en/journal/archive/article/10277924?-

search.highlight=More%20Material%20Combinations,%20

Lower%20Costs).

6. WOMAG Magazine: “PlasmaPlus®: Setting new quality

standards with plasma” (https://www.plasmatreat.co.uk/

downloads/english/19-06_WOMAG_corrosion-protec-

tion-aluminum-with-PlasmaPlus.pdf).

7. POLYMER COMPOSITES 2019, the international conference

organized by the Czech “Association for Technical Support

and Promotion of Polymer Composites: “Plasma optimizes

adhesive processes in the automotive industry” (https://

www.plasmatreat.co.uk/downloads/english/19-05_PC-Con-

gress-2019_catalog_atmospheric-pressure-plasma.pdf).

8. IST International Surface Technology Magazine “Nature

as a Role Model – Plasma for lightweight panel production”

(https://www.plasmatreat.co.uk/downloads/english/19-05_

PC-Congress-2019_catalog_atmospheric-pressure-plasma.

pdf).

9. Aluminum praxis “Corrosion protection from the plasma nozzle”

(https://www.plasmatreat.co.uk/downloads/english/17-10_alumini-

um_praxis_ZF_TRW_automotive_GB.pdf).

10. www.plastix-world.com “Plastic and metal: a strong con-

nection” (https://www.plastix-world.com/2179-2/).


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FEATURE

ABSTRACT

Carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy composite has become the material of choice in high-performance bicy-

cle frames. Compared to the traditional frame building materials (steel, aluminum, and titanium alloys),

composites offer greater specific strength, modulus, and vibration damping; as well as the ability to form

aerodynamic tube profiles, and finely tuned ride characteristics by varying fiber modulus and stacking se-

quence throughout the frame. However, bicycle frames are often subject to unintended impacts -- oriented

out-of-plane with respect to the tube walls -- which frequently result in structural damage of the laminated

composite. Fortunately, this damage is often repairable. In this work, a single case study demonstrates how the

principles of bonded structural repair developed by the aviation composites industry can be applied to bicycle

frames and other thin-walled, tubular composite structures. The repair process is documented step-by-step

with explanations of the underlying theory, as well as attention to practical aspects.

Bonded Structural Repair of Carbon Fiber Bicycle Frames

Matt Waller, PhD Candidate

Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics

Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA

Bonded Structural Repair


ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT BONDINGBefore delving into the details of bonded repair, it should be noted that secondary bonding is integral to the original manufacture of nearly all composite bicycle frames. In other words, the repair processes described herein are like the original manufactur-ing methods. The oldest composite frame man-ufacturing method is tube-and-lug, wherein the tubes and lugs (joints) of the frame are first individ-ually formed and cured, then adhesively bonded to form the complete frame assembly. The tube and lug components may have complementary oppos-ing surfaces -- such as tapers and step faces -- en-abling seamless joints as described in1,2.

INSPECTIONIn this case study, damage was visible on the sur-face of the top tube, as seen in Figures 1 and 2. By visual inspection alone, it was not possible to dis-cern whether the damage was purely cosmetic, or structural.

The tap test (also known as the coin test or son-ic test) was employed to check for structural dam-age of the top tube. A simple but effective method, the tap test makes use of frequencies in the audible range. It is performed by tapping the structure with a coin or small hammer-like object and listening to the response. A clear, sharp ring indicates a solid, well-bonded composite laminate. A lower pitched “thud” is indicative of damage. The tap test is reli-able for detection of delaminations near the surface of thin laminates (e.g., bicycle frame tubes)3. In this case, sections of tube to the left and right of the vis-ibly damaged area (circled in Figure 2) were tapped to establish a baseline tone, which was a high-pitched ring. The area with visible surface damage produced a dull thud when tapped, indicating lo-calized structural damage requiring repair. Based on the damage location, it likely resulted from the handlebars striking the top tube during a crash. It should be noted that if the damaged area had re-sponded with a clear, sharp ring when tapped, this would indicate that the damage is most likely limit-ed to the first ply. In this hypothetical scenario, the structure could be repaired by an infusion method; coating the damaged area with liquid epoxy and allowing it to fill any near-surface cracks or delam-inations by capillary action. DAMAGE EVALUATION AND REMOVALIf structural damage is detected by the tap test (i.e., the structure responds with a “thud” when tapped), the next step is to evaluate the extent of the damage and remove damaged material. Deter-mining the damage depth is critical. A light impact

Figure 1. Carbon/ep-oxy composite moun-tain bike frame with impact damage visible on the top tube.

Figure 2. Visible sur-face damage on top tube of composite mountain bike. The damage was sealed with nail polish -- which is visible at the surface -- by the previous own-er. Sealing the damage at the surface does not constitute a structural

repair if there is subsurface damage, however.


FEATURE / BONDED STRUCTURAL REPAIR

may only damage the outermost plies, whereas a slightly higher energy impact may result in full de-lamination across the wall thickness. In either case, damage at the surface may appear minor or be nonvisible, as illustrated in Figure 3. Before a repair patch is bonded to the structure, all of the damaged material should be removed so that no impact-in-duced cracks or delaminations will remain under-neath the patch, where they could propagate and possibly lead to a fatigue failure. Damaged material is removed by abrasion, either in the form of sand-ing (with abrasive pads or paper) or grit blasting. The depth and extent of damage can be evaluated during the abrasion process by periodically repeat-ing the tap test as material is removed. In this case, the tap test was repeated several times as the tube wall was sanded increasingly thin, and the struc-ture continued to respond with a dull thud, indi-cating that the entire wall thickness was delaminat-ed. Eventually, the wall thickness was completely

abraded leaving an opening approximately 2.5 cm (1 in.) across, as shown in Figure 4. Tap testing around the periphery of the opening indicated that the remaining material was undamaged. Addition-al sanding was performed around the opening to form gradually tapered edges.

SURFACE CREATION AND PREPARATIONAfter removal of all damaged material, a roughly 2.5 x 2.5 cm (1.0 x 1.0 in) opening surrounded by tapered edges was present in the previously dam-aged area. Lay up of a composite patch requires a mold surface, so, in this case, a new surface had to be fabricated in place of the opening. This was ac-complished by filling the damaged section of tube with polyurethane (PU) foam. First, a foam casting was made, from which a plug was carved and in-serted into the tube as shown in Figure 5.

With the plug in place, a freshly mixed batch of foam was poured directly into the damaged section

Figure 3. Significant impact damage may appear minor at the surface or be nonvisible.

Figure 4. Removal of all damaged material by abrasion left an opening of approximately 2.5 cm (1 in.) across in the tube wall. This opening would need to be filled prior to apply-ing a patch.


of the tube, where it expanded to roughly 30x its liquid volume. The plug prevented the liquid foam from flowing down the tube prior to expansion and solidification. The expanded foam core can be seen in Figure 6. At the opening, the foam was sanded flush with the inner dimension of the tube, creat-ing a contoured mold surface matching the original tube profile. It should be noted that because only a small section of tube was filled with foam, and because the density of the foam is low (4 pounds per cubic foot (PCF) in this case; 2 and 6 PCF va-rieties are also widely available), the foam added only negligible mass (approximately 15 grams) to the structure.

After creating a closed cell foam mold surface, the final step before applying a patch was surface preparation. The recommended surface prepara-

tion for thermoset composite to thermoset com-posite bonding is solvent cleaning followed by a light aluminum oxide grit blast in dry nitrogen to expose a fresh, chemically active surface4. After grit blasting, dust should be blown off with dry nitrogen (rather than wiped off) to avoid surface contamination. In this case, a suitable grit blaster was not available, so the surfaces (foam and com-posite) were given a final light sanding and cleaned with acetone and isopropanol to remove sanding debris and any other contaminants.

The readiness of a surface for bonding can be evaluated by the water break test, which is typically performed with deionized water or a drop of res-in. If the liquid “beads” into droplets, the surface is contaminated with hydrophobic substances (e.g. oil/grease). If the liquid “breaks” or spreads out and

wets the surface, then the surface is considered ready for bonding. The

water break phenomenon is explained by the force diagram in Figure 7, where gSL

, gLV

, and gSV

denote the solid-liquid, liquid-vapor, and solid-vapor surface tensions, respectively, and q

C is the con-

tact angle. Static equilibrium of these forces in the horizontal direction gives

Figure 5. A plug was made from polyurethane foam and inserted inside the damaged tube, so that fresh foam could be poured di-rectly into the tube without flowing beyond the damaged section.

Figure 6. Polyurethane foam was poured directly into the damaged section of tube, where it expanded to fill the hole in the wall. The foam core was sanded flush with the inter-nal tube dimensions and used as a mold surface. Because the foam is closed cell, it does not absorb resin during wet lay-up.

Figure 7. Illustration of surface tensions acting on a liquid drop-let in equilibrium on a smooth and homogeneous substrate. Bal-ancing these forces in the horizontal direction gives the Young equation. If the substrate is clean, the droplet spreads and wets the surface evenly.



Equation 1, the Young equation. For a clean sur-face, g

SL is small, so the contact angle q

C must also

be small to achieve equilibrium. In other words, the droplet spreads out and wets the surface evenly.

[1]

RESIN SELECTIONIn this repair, the laminating resin of the patch also served as the adhesive between the patch and the original structure. Therefore, it was important to select a resin that is both a strong adhesive and also an appropriate laminating resin for a structural composite, while possessing suitable processing characteristics for wet lay-up. Generally, a good adhesive should be compliant to reduce the max-imum peel and shear stresses in the bond layer 3,5. This concept is illustrated for peel stress in Figure 8. For a laminating resin, a higher modulus is typical-ly preferred to restrain fiber buckling under com-pressive loads.

For the epoxy, a liquid diglycidyl ether of bi-sphenol-A (DGEBA or “Bis A”) type was chosen. The molecular structure of Bis A epoxy is shown in

Figure 9. Viscosity of this epoxy at room tempera-ture is approximately 8,000 cP6, which is suitable for wet lay-up.

Much of the variability in epoxy resin systems is derived from the differences in hardeners or curing agents. In this case, a combination of two curing agents was chosen to create a unique resin system with both good structural and adhesive properties: 1) tetraethylene pentaamine (TEPA) and, 2) a poly-amide based cured agent. TEPA is a low molecular weight aliphatic amine with a viscosity of approxi-mately 100 cP7 and a pot life (time for viscosity to double) of about 1 hour when used to cure Bis A ep-oxy at room temperature. The molecular structure

Figure 8. Stiff adhesives (left) concentrate peel stress; compliant adhesives (right) distribute peel stress.

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of TEPA is shown in Figure 10. Because of its low molecular weight and relatively high number of amine hydrogens, TEPA creates a stiff matrix when used to cure epoxy.

Polyamide curing agents are natural products, derived from the oils of plants and trees. A wide va-riety of products are derived from plant oils, which are hydrolyzed to their acid components. Natural products are unusual in resin, adhesives, and coat-ings industries, but polyamides are an exception and have been used for several decades in these applications. Most notably, polyamides are major components in many aerospace adhesives. For polyamide curing agents, oleic and linoleic acid are used. These components are reacted together as shown in Figure 11 to form the high molecular weight “dimer acid”. The double bond in the dimer acid prevents the curing agent from crystalizing (as they do in plant oils). The acid end-groups are then reacted with triethylene tetraamine (TETA), shown in Figure 12. The reaction between an acid and an amine results in an amide linkage, and since there are more than one such linkage per molecule, the product is a “polyamide”. Polyamides were select-ed for bicycle frame repair because, due to their high molecular weight and relatively fewer amine groups per molecule (compared to TEPA) they re-sult in a more compliant cured resin. In addition, their high viscosity prevents drain-out from the fabric reinforcement in the patch, and their longer working life allows ample time to complete the lay-up sequence. The particular polyamide selected was Versamid 140, which has a viscosity of approx-imately 9,000 cP at room temperature8, and pro-vides approximately 2 hours of pot life when mixed with epoxy at room temperature.

Figure 9. The molecular structure of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA” or “Bis A”) type epoxy. This epoxy was chosen as a component of the resin system for the adhesive and laminated patch.

Figure 10. Tetraethylene pentaamine (TEPA) was one of two curing agents using in the laminating resin and adhesive.

Figure 11. Formation of the dimer acid used to synthesize polyamide curing agents.

Figure 12. Triethylene tetraamine (TETA) is reacted with dimer acid to form polyamide curing agents. Polyamides are widely used in aerospace adhe-sives, and a polyamide was included in the bicycle frame repair resin formu-lation for its good adhesive properties and high viscosity.



Combination of an aliphatic amine (TEPA) and a polyamide (Versamid 140) with epoxy results in a resin system that serves well as both an adhesive and as a laminating resin for structural composites. Processing characteristics (viscosity, pot life, etc.) are excellent for wet lay-up. Based on the epoxide equivalent weight of the Bis A type epoxy and the amine hydrogen equivalent weights of TEPA and Versamid 140, the following stoichiometric mixture was calculated (by weight):

• 105 parts EPON 826 Bis A epoxy

• 10 parts TEPA

• 20 parts Versamid 140 polyamide

This resin formulation was then used as both the adhesive and the laminating resin for the com-posite patch.

REPAIR DESIGNA combination of the scarf and over lamination methods were chosen for the repair design. The scarf -- which is a joint between two tapered edges as shown in Figure 13 -- is in theory the most effi-cient structural joint3. By considering the balance

Figure 13. Schematic illustration of the tube and repair patch cross section. The damaged tube section was filled with foam to create a mold surface. A 4 ply scarf patch was laid on to the mold, followed by a 2 ply over lamination patch. (Not drawn to scale or proportion.)

of forces in static equilibrium, the shear stress and peel stress along the scarf bond line for small scarf angles (q) are approximated by Equations 2 and 3, respectively3, where s denotes the in-plane stress transferred across the joint, t denotes the laminate thickness, and L

scarf denotes the scarf length as

shown in Figure 13. These approximations show that, in theory, both the shear and peel stresses at the bond line can be decreased to arbitrarily small

values by increasing the scarf length Lscarf

(equivalent to decreasing scarf angle q). In practice, this is limited by the available area for a scarf joint (large Lscarf

leads to a large repair area) and difficulty in obtaining and mea-suring a shallow, precise scarf angle. The value of Lscarf

that will provide sufficiently low shear and peel stress-es depends on the properties of the adhesive and adherends, as well as the anticipated loads across the scarf joint. Typical values used for compos-ites repair by the aviation industry range from 20t to 50t, where t is the thickness of the parent laminate9.

[2]

[3]

The over lamination repair meth-od -- which is illustrated in Figure 13 –

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Table 1. Laminate stacking sequence of the repair patch. The 0 degree direction is defined as the axis of the tube.

consists of a patch bonded to the underlying struc-ture by single lap joints. The recommended overlap (L

lap) for single lap joints is 80t, where t denotes the

laminate wall thickness3. Over lamination was cho-sen to increase the total thickness of the patch (in-creasing the rigidity and strength of the repair) and also to achieve an aesthetically pleasing symmetric surface finish by overlapping the full tube circum-ference with the outermost plies.

The carbon fiber fabric chosen for the repair was a plain weave of AS4 carbon (a standard modu-lus, high strength grade) in 3K tow. Dry fabric thick-ness was approximately 0.23 mm (9 mils). Four plies were used for the scarf patch, and two for the over lamination. The ply orientations and stacking sequence are shown in Table 1, where ply 1 denotes the first or bottom ply, and ply 6 denotes the out-ermost or surface ply. Four plies were oriented at 0/90° (the 0 degree direction is aligned with the axis of the tube) and two were oriented at +/-45°. This lay-up was based on observation of the stacking sequence of the parent tube during abrasion. It ap-peared that the parent tube consisted primarily of unidirectional plies oriented at 0°, along with a few inner plies oriented at +/-45°. Each unidirectional ply of the parent tube was approximately 0.13 mm (5 mils) thick and the wall thickness was approxi-mately 1.3 mm (50 mils). The dimensions of each ply in the repair patch are given in Table 1. The out-ermost ply of the scarf patch measured 7 x 7 cm. This dimension provided a scarf length of approx-imately 20t, which falls within the range used for repair of composites in the aviation industry9 while keeping the repair area relatively small.

Figure 14. Heat shrink tape was used to hold the plies in place, provide compaction pressure, squeeze out excess resin, and shield the epoxy resin from air and moisture during cure. Excess resin is visible exiting seams in the tape. Heat shrink tape is easy to apply on tubular structures.

Figure 15. The patch was top coated with a fast curing epoxy resin (West System 105/206) to in-hibit amine blush. The top coat provides addition-al protection for the fibers and a smooth, glossy finish.


WET LAY-UP: APPLYING THE PATCHThe repair patch was applied by the traditional wet lay-up process. A thin coat of resin was first brushed onto the prepared surface, and each ply was then placed and wetted with resin by brush se-quentially. Application of the patch was split into two steps: the scarf patch and the over lamination. First, the scarf patch was applied and cured over-night at room temperature. Then the surface was lightly sanded and cleaned, and the final two plies (the over lamination portion of the patch) were ap-plied. Dividing the patch application process into multiple cure steps reduced the tendency of the plies to slide out of position during lay-up; the few-er uncured plies are present, the easier it is to hold them in position.

Typically, a vacuum bag is used to apply com-paction pressure during cure of composites repair patches. However, vacuum bagging of small diame-ter tubes is difficult, so heat shrink tape was used in this case, as shown in Figure 14. Heat shrink tape is easy to apply to tubular structures, forces the plies to conform to the tube shape, holds the plies in position during cure, allows excess resin to egress, and is easy to remove after curing is complete.

SURFACE FINISH AND UV PROTECTIONAfter applying and curing the outer plies of the patch, the surface was sanded smooth and a top coat of epoxy was applied by brush. Although this step is simple, one pitfall must be avoided: amine blush. During cure, the top coat is exposed to at-mospheric carbon dioxide and moisture, which can react with amine curing agents to form carba-mates. This phenomenon results in a hazy white surface that remains tacky and is unsuitable for bonding or painting. Epoxy formulations with un-modified aliphatic amines – such as TEPA – are vul-nerable to amine blush in humid conditions7. One strategy to inhibit amine blush is decreasing the cure time; either by increasing temperature, adding a catalyst, or using a different resin system.

To decrease the cure time of the top coat, West System 105 epoxy and 206 hardener was selected rather than the Bis A epoxy/TEPA/Versamid 140 which was used as the adhesive and laminating resin. West System 105/206 resin has a pot life of approximately 20 minutes, reducing the available time for amine blush reaction products to form by approximately 80% compared to if the laminating resin were used. Immediately after the top coat was applied, the frame was placed in an oven at 49°C (120°F) to further accelerate the cure reaction. An amine blush-free epoxy top coat results in a smooth, glossy finish as shown in Figure 15.

After application of the epoxy top coat, the final repair step is to protect the patch from ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The energy of UV photons is com-parable to the dissociation energy of polymer covalent bonds; therefore, UV radiation can alter the structure of cured epoxy and reduce resin-dominated mechanical properties10. Aerospace composites are typically protected from UV radiation by multiple coats of primer and pigmented paint. In this applica-tion, several coats of clear spray paint with UV blockers were applied to protect the epoxy while maintaining a glossy, carbon weave finish. The final surface finish is shown in Figure 16.

CONCLUSIONSThe bonded repair methods developed by the aviation industry can be adapt-ed to repair carbon/epoxy bicycle frames and other thin-walled, tubular struc-tures.

•All damaged material should be removed before applying a patch.

•A scarf patch is the most efficient joint; however, care should be taken to ensure that the scarf length is sufficient to minimize peel and shear stress along the bond line. Scarf length of at least 20t (where t is the thickness of the parent laminate) is recommended.

•Over lamination can be used in conjunction with a scarf patch to in-crease strength and improve aesthetics.

•If the same resin system is employed as both the laminating resin and adhesive, its modulus should be intermediate.

•Shrink tape, rather than vacuum bag, can be used to easily provide com-paction pressure and protect the laminating resin from atmospheric moisture and CO2

during cure.

•Amine blush in the topcoat can be avoided by using a fast curing epoxy system and/or increasing temperature.

Figure 16. The final surface finish of the repair patch after application of two coats of gloss clear spray paint with UV blockers. The spray paint protects the underlying epoxy from photo degradation.



REFERENCES1. R. H. Nelson, D. Milovich, W. M. Wilcox and R. F. Read,

“Method making a composite bicycle frame using com-

posite lugs”. United States Patent 5,624,519, 29 April

1997.

2. R. H. Nelson, D. Milovich, W. M. Wilcox and R. F. Read,

“Composite Bicycle Frame and Methods For Its Con-

struction”. United States Patent 6,270,104, 7 August

2001.

3. U.S. Department of Defense, MIL-HDBK-17-3F: Com-

posite Materials Handbook, Volume 3 - Polymer Matrix

Composites Materials Usage, Design, and Analysis,

Washington, DC: Department of Defense, 2002.

4. M. Davis and B. David, “Principles and practices of

adhesive bonded structural joints and repairs,” Interna-

tional Journal of Adhesion and Adhesives, vol. 19, no.

2-3, pp. 91-105, 1999.

5. F. L. Matthew, P. F. Kilty and E. W. Godwin, “A review

of the strength of joints in fibre-reinforced plastics. Part

2: Adhesively bonded joints,” Composites, vol. 13, no. 1,

pp. 29-37, 1982.

6. Hexion Inc., EPON Resin 826 Technical Data Sheet,

2017.

7. Hexion Inc., EPIKURE™ Curing Agent 3200, 3223,

3234 & 3245 Technical Data Sheet, 2005.

8. Gabriel Phenoxies Inc. , Versamid 140 Technical Data

Sheet, 2017.

9. E. Archer and A. McllHagger, “15 - Repair of damaged

aerospace composite structures,” in Polymer Compos-

ites in the Aerospace Industry (Second Edition), Saw-

ston, UK, Woodhead Publishing, 2020, pp. 441-459.

10. B. G. Kumar, R. P. Singh and T. Nakamura, “Degra-

dation of Carbon Fiber-reinforced Epoxy Composites

by Ultraviolet Radiation and Condensation,” Journal

of Composite Materials, vol. 36, no. 24, pp. 2713-2721,

2002.

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Main stream Raw Materials and Semi-fi nished products• Thermoplastic Composites• Fibers, Resins and Interfaces

Main stream Manufacturing• Manufacturing• Automation• 3D printed composites• Tooling• Joining, Bonding and Repair

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BASF has now developed Ultramid® Advanced N5H UN, a polyphthalamide

(PPA) that can be manufactured into semi-finished parts by extrusion.

The plastics company GEHR, Mannheim, Germany is using the new PPA

to produce extruded stock shapes with a diameter of 50 millimeters.

Ultramid® Advanced N offers excellent mechanics at elevated temperatures

due to its semi-aromatic chemical structure. It shows excellent resistance

to chemicals and hydrolysis, even in aggressive environments, as well as

good sliding friction properties – and all this at temperatures above 100°C.

Due to its low water uptake its mechanical properties remain stable over a

wide temperature range. Even in humid environments, the long-chain high-

performance material shows a dimensional stability that belongs to the

highest of all polyamides.

This property profile makes Ultramid® Advanced N the perfect material

for extruding pre-fabricated components and small assemblies but also for

many applications in the automotive industry, in mechanical engineering and

in kitchen appliances. During machining, the behavior of the semi-finished

products lies between a polyamide and a polyoxymethylene copolymer, with

steady and consistent chip formation and removal.

www.ultramid-advanced-n.basf.com.

NEWS / INDUSTRY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Scott Bader Australia Pty Ltd is

pleased to announce it has acquired the

assets of Summit Composites Pty Ltd.

Scott Bader has been working alongside

Summit Composites for over 10

years with Summit distributing their

high-performance resins, gelcoats and

adhesives to the Australian market. With

Scott Bader’s objective of establishing

a long-term presence in the Australian

composites market and the founders

desire to retire from the business, the

natural next step was for Scott Bader to

acquire the assets of the company and

continue to build Summit’s reputation

for product quality, performance and

reliability.

“We are delighted to be able to continue to build on the strong market position developed over many years by Summit Composites. We are looking forward to serving our highly valued customers and cementing a long-term sustainable presence in the Australian composites market.”

Kevin Matthews, Scott Bader’s Group Chief Executive Officer

www.scottbader.com

The first semi-finished part made of Ultramid®

Advanced N

Cobham, the global market leader in military aircraft oxygen life support systems, an-

nounces it has received a $2.65M oxygen concentrator follow-on order from Northrop Grumman Corporation for the Navy E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, an Airborne Com-

mand and Control Aircraft (ACC). The order is the second lot of a multi-year produc-

tion contract for the delivery of oxygen concentrators for the platform.

With pilot safety as a core business, Cobham continues to invest in developing next

generation technology to advance pilot protection by meeting individual physiological

demands of oxygen. Cobham is the world leader in providing global military oxygen

life support systems with installations on many mission critical aircraft.

www.cobhammissionsystems.com

Spaceflight Inc., the leading satellite

rideshare and mission management

provider, has announced that it will be

flying its next generation orbital transfer

vehicle, Sherpa-FX, on a fully dedicated

rideshare mission with SpaceX. The

mission, called SXRS-3 by Spaceflight,

is scheduled to launch on a Falcon 9 no

earlier than December 2020. Spaceflight

has contracted 16 spacecraft for this mis-

sion from organizations including iQPS,

Loft Orbital, HawkEye 360, NASA’s Small

Spacecraft Technology program, Astro-

cast, and the University of South Florida

Institute of Applied Engineering.

In addition to the customer space-

craft, Sherpa-FX will transport multiple

hosted payloads including one for Celes-

tis Inc., as well as several that will demon-

strate technologies designed to identify

and track spacecraft once deployed. By

demonstrating these tracking systems


DISCLAIMER: In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in published press releases or where statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or state-ments may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. View related websites for current updates when needed.

AnalySwift, LLC, a provider of efficient high-fidelity modeling software for composites

and other advanced materials, has joined the Altair Partner Alliance (APA).

AnalySwift’s VABS software has officially launched as the latest addition to the APA.

According to Altair, the APA is a platform which “offers on-demand access to a

broad spectrum of software applications from over 55 companies participating in the

APA. Customers can leverage a wide range of software tools from a centralized source,

helping them reduce time to market, increase intelligent design, and make smarter

decisions faster.”

The latest to join the APA, VABS is a general-purpose, cross-sectional analysis tool

for computing beam properties, as well as 3D stresses and strains of slender composite

structures, commonly called beams. As such, VABS is a beam theory which can achieve

the fidelity of detailed 3-dimensional finite element analysis (3D FEA), but it saves

orders of magnitude in computing time.

www.analyswift.com

Integrating the Company’s lifting expertise with its smart technology, Columbus McKinnon Corporation has launched the Mag-

netek® brand Intelli-Lift™ System. The second product in its Intelli-Crane™ family of automation products, the Intelli-Lift System

furthers Columbus McKinnon’s position as a leading designer and manufacturer of motion control products, technologies, and

services for material handling.

Leveraging automation technology to improve customers’ safety, uptime, and productivity, the Intelli-Lift System helps prevent

load swing caused by load misalignment when the rope

and hook are not vertical. As an added layer of protection,

Intelli-Lift also detects snagged conditions that can occur

along the travel path, or when moving hooks, slings, and

rigging to the next lift, and stops all motions.

Swinging loads are not only dangerous for operators;

they can damage equipment, resulting in costly repairs

and downtime. To reduce these risks, Intelli-Lift alerts

operators with a visible and audible warning before a

dangerous load misalignment or snag condition occurs.

Using sensors and a status control enclosure, the system

activates directional lights and a programmable warning

horn if it detects a side pull or off-center pick. Intelli-Lift

will then assist operators, through manual or automatic

adjustment, to center the bridge and trolley over the load

before it is hoisted.

www.columbusmckinnon.com

Toray Industries, Inc., has announced that it has concluded an agreement with Lilium GmbH to supply carbon fiber composite

materials for the Lilium Jet. The Munich-based company is developing this all-electric, vertical take-off and landing aircraft to

deliver clean, regional air mobility as early as 2025.

Regional air mobility could help reduce traffic congestion, noise, and air pollution in crowded cities. Entities around the world

are developing airframes and operational systems for air taxi services. Governments are working on regulatory frameworks. Lilium

is spearheading the quest to manufacture air vehicle and develop and commercialize services.

Carbon fiber composite materials are vital to lighten such vehicles as the Lilium Jet. Toray is deepening ties with Lilium and

other manufacturers while continuing to innovate materials that contribute to progress with these transportation platforms by

enhancing performance, conserving energy, and lowering costs. The Lilium Jet will take up to four passengers and its pilot up to

300 kilometers in less than 60 minutes. Its fuselage, wings, rotor vanes, and other structural components will employ carbon fiber

composite materials.

www.toray.com

on orbit, Spaceflight customers will have

access to flight-proven technologies

that can mitigate space congestion and

provide the foundation of effective and

responsible space traffic management.

Technologies onboard Sherpa-FX include

payloads by NearSpace Launch, Kepleri-

an Technologies and their hardware part-

ner Tiger Innovations, and Space Domain

Awareness Inc. These innovative payloads

will provide spacecraft developers an

independent capability to identify and

track their spacecraft without drawing on

the host spacecraft resources.

https://spaceflight.com


MEMBER NEWS / NEW SAMPE MEMBERS

WELCOME!Professional

Australia}Paul Evans, The Boeing Co.

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Deakin University

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Los Angeles}John Lisinski, Impossible

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Midwest}Joshua Dustin, Boeing Co.

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New Jersey}Victoria Cardine

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Composites

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Atomics - ASI

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Aerospace

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State Univ.


2020

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United Kingdom}Aurele Bras, Solvay

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Consulting Inc.

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Students

Brigham Young University}Gustavo Preciado

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PRE-SUMMIT GRAPHENE TUTORIAL:

From the Lab to the Marketplace

Presented by Steve Rodgers, EmergenTek LLC

November 5, 20207:00 am Pacific Standard Time

(PST) / 16:00Central Europe Time (CET)

Virtual Event

The virtual SAMPE Graphene Leadership Summit brings together world-renowned experts in the areas of graphene research and commercialization to provide you with the information needed to make solid decisions for the future of your business. Whether you are in business development, corporate management, engineering, R&D or a technician, in order to remain competitive you need answers to these questions and dozens of others like them:

• What is real and what is just hype?• How immediate is the marketplace?• How can it impact my business?• Is it prohibitively expensive?• Is this just another kind of Carbon Nanotubes?• How do I make sound business decisions?• Is it dangerous?

Your team has pulled together during these times of rapid change and new challenges.

CONTACT USMike Favaloro

Corporate Relations Director [email protected]

(978) 270-6011teamsampe.org

Thank your employees with the gift of a Team SAMPE corporate membership.

LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

INDUSTRY PARTNERS

Learn more and register online at nasampe.org/GrapheneSummit2020

NOVEMBER 10-12, 2020, 7:00 AM PST / 16:00 CET A VIRTUAL EVENT

GRAPHENE

PRE-SUMMIT GRAPHENE TUTORIAL:

From the Lab to the Marketplace

Presented by Steve Rodgers, EmergenTek LLC

November 5, 20207:00 am Pacific Standard Time

(PST) / 16:00Central Europe Time (CET)

Virtual Event

The virtual SAMPE Graphene Leadership Summit brings together world-renowned experts in the areas of graphene research and commercialization to provide you with the information needed to make solid decisions for the future of your business. Whether you are in business development, corporate management, engineering, R&D or a technician, in order to remain competitive you need answers to these questions and dozens of others like them:

• What is real and what is just hype?• How immediate is the marketplace?• How can it impact my business?• Is it prohibitively expensive?• Is this just another kind of Carbon Nanotubes?• How do I make sound business decisions?• Is it dangerous?

CAMX is more than a conference, and in 2020, it’s the only composites industry expo event of the year. Beginning in August, webinars and tutorials set the stage for what to expect during CAMX 2020 (September 21 - 24). CAMX will deliver live featured panels and sessions, real-time Q&A with speakers, a robust exhibit hall, and a multitude of on-demand content. Register for CAMX today to discover the industry’s latest composites and advanced materials products, material and technology advancements, and cutting-edge research and development.

SEPTEMBER 21-24 | 2020A VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE

Exhibit HallConference ProgramOpening General SessionCAMX and ACE Award PresentationsCampfire SessionsFirst Time Attendee OrientationGood Day, CAMX!and much more

2020 AWARDSThe CAMX Awards will be awarded to two game changing entries that reflect the depth and breadth of the CAMX theme: Combined Strength. Unsurpassed Innovation.

The Outstanding Technical Paper Awards will be presented to researchers who put together well-written, interesting and groundbreaking technical papers addressing critical areas of importance to the composites and advanced materials industry.

The Awards for Composites Excellence (ACE), a prestigious composites industry competition, offers six total awards recognizing excellence in Design, Manufacturing, and Market Growth. Sponsored by Composites One.

COMBINED STRENGTH. UNSURPASSED INNOVATION.

A NEW CAMX FOR A NEW TIME

CAMX DELIVERS THE SAME ACCLAIMED FEATURES VIRTUALLY:

Learn more at thecamx.org/awards.

This year’s conference program features a combination of live streaming sessions and on-demand content, focusing on the industry’s hottest topics and continued growth. The live sessions will offer dedicated time for a Q&A where attendees will have the opportunity to interact with speakers in real time. All live events for CAMX 2020 will be hosted in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). View the final schedule and full descriptions online at thecamx.org/conference-program.

COMPLIMENTARY WEBINARSA series of free webinars began in August and runs for four weeks leading up to CAMX as a preview of the full event. These will be available on the CAMX website for on-demand viewing after the air dates:

■ Composites 101

■ Tooling 101 for Composites Manufacturing

■ Composites 201 - August 26, at 10:00 am EDT

■ Composites Factory of the Future - September 2, at 10:00 am EDT

Learn more and sign up for the remaining webinars at theCAMX.org/camx-webinar-series.

CAMX TUTORIALSTutorials take place before CAMX, the week of September 7, and two are included with each premium registration package. They can also be purchased a la carte for live or on-demand viewing.

Tuesday, September 8, 202010:00 am – 12:15 pm EDTMaking a Composite Part: From Concept to Reality

1:00 pm – 3:15 pm EDTIntroduction to Additive Manufacturing and Composite Tooling Applications

Wednesday, September 9, 202010:00 am – 12:15 pm EDTSustainability in the Composites Industry

1:00 pm – 3:15 pm EDTDesign & Analysis Approaches for Today’s Composites

Thursday, September 10, 202010:00 am – 12:15 pm EDTNon-Destructive Inspection & Evaluation for Composites & Bonded Structures

1:00 pm – 3:15 pm EDTThermoplastic Composites: Materials, Markets, Applications

OPENING GENERAL SESSIONTuesday, Sept. 22, 11:00 am‒12:15 pm EDT|Live StreamThe General Session and Keynote will feature Airbus’ Material Fast Track Leader and General Advisor for Materials Technology to the Chief Technology Officer, Isabell Gradert with insights on Airbus’ sustainability plan to be the world’s first aircraft manufacturer to market a zero-emission aircraft by 2035. She will explore how Airbus will get there and the role materials and composite technologies will play. All CAMX attendees are invited, including exhibit hall only registrants.

GOOD DAY, CAMX!Thursday, Sept. 24, 11:00 am‒12:00 pm EDT|Live StreamJoin your fellow attendees (including exhibit hall-only registrants!) for a look at what the next generation of composites professionals are thinking as they discuss the industry topics of the day. Get yourself motivated to take all these new ideas, products and training into the future during one final virtual networking gathering as we talk about what’s next in the world of composites and advanced materials.

Every CAMX conference attendee has access to programs providing in-depth learning, knowledge-sharing, and dynamic presentations from anywhere in the world.

VIRTUAL CONFERENCE PROGRAM

ON-DEMAND CONTENTThis year the technical papers and education sessions will be available for on-demand viewing. Technical papers are 20-minute virtual presentations and include formal written research papers reviewed by industry peers. Education sessions are 35-minute virtual presentations and are not accompanied by formal research papers, instead, they focus on case studies, best practices, issue reviews, and are presented as lectures and discussions. The CAMX virtual platform will be live on September 21 and attendees with premium or full conference registration packages will have immediate access to the on-demand content.

LIVE FEATURED CONTENT LINE-UPTuesday, September 22 1:15 pm – 2:30 pm EDT – Featured Panel|Composites 4.0 Factory of the Future: Best PracticesThe Industrial Revolution, now seeing the 4th recognized global expansion into the world of composite materials, manufacturing and new market applications, is becoming more understood within and outside of aerospace. This panel of experts will explore the marriage and integration of the vast resources of data coupled with internet availability, software technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) that supports business models across supply chains.

2:35 pm ‒ 3:20 pm EDT ‒ Featured Speaker|Composites for Modern ArchitectureFRP composites are becoming the material of choice for architectural applications thanks to their aesthetic qualities, versatility, and functionality. Composites allow architects to create designs that are impossible or impractical with traditional materials and building envelopes and roofs can improve thermal performance and energy efficiency. Join this session explore various case studies of FRP use in modern architecture.

3:30 pm – 4:45 pm EDT ‒ Featured Panel|Sustainability of Composites Compared to Alternative MaterialsOEMs and other customers are increasingly evaluating the sustainability of various material choices within the decision-making process for a given application. This panel will provide a perspective showing how composites compare to alternative materials as well as the focus on areas for future improvement in the sustainability of composites.

Wednesday, September 2310:45 am – 12:00 pm EDT ‒ Featured Panel|Bonding and Joining Composites Successfully in Structural ApplicationsRegardless of the specific market, composite materials are typically bonded or joined with a variety of materials to provide the structural integrity and performance desired from the end-product. Panelists from several industries and market applications will discuss key factors that influence the ultimate structural integrity for successful interface with both thermoset and thermoplastic composites.

1:35 pm ‒ 2:20 pm EDT ‒ Featured Speaker|Game Changing Infrastructure Challenges: New Solutions & OpportunitiesIn recent years, Florida DOT’s interest in innovation and application of materials like FRP composites has led to many successful installations with the objective of building better with better materials. This presentation will provide an overview of FDOT research and implementation using FRP composites. Attendees will learn about Florida DOT’s vision for the future for transportation infrastructure.

2:25 pm – 3:40 pm EDT ‒ Featured Panel|Building Bridges Along the AtlanticRecent bridge design and construction projects will show the willingness of transportation agencies along the east coast of North America to embrace the use of FRP for more than just rehabilitation and strengthening. With a focus on improved Life Cycle Cost and reduced maintenance liability, this panel will discuss the needs of the infrastructure community to integrate composites reliably and economically into their design process.

Thursday, September 241:00 pm – 2:15 pm EDT ‒ Featured Panel|The Path to Increase Commercialization of High Performance Thermoplastic CompositesHigh performance thermoplastic composites have recently gained interest for a variety of applications due to advantages in manufacturability and cycle time. However, several obstacles remain in the path to commercialization of thermoplastic composites including testing, validation, allowables, and certification. This panel will explore the pathways to commercializing high performance thermoplastic composites applications in the markets of commercial aerospace, automotive, and urban air mobility.

2:25 pm ‒ 3:10 pm EDT ‒ Featured Speaker|Advancing Your Facility Using Practical Automation PracticesAs the industry grows and there is increased demand for automation in facilities, small to medium companies may feel that they have a competitive disadvantage. This session will explore how all companies can dive into the world of automation and begin implanting new software that can speed up production, reduce waste, and increase repeatability.

3:15 pm – 4:45 pm EDT ‒ Featured Panel|Urban Air Mobility: What It Will Take to Scale UpTo realize the vision of the emerging Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market, the scale of manufacturing will need to reflect automotive capacity and the requirements and certifications of commercial aviation. Many of today’s prototypes use materials and methods that do not currently lend themselves to the predicted needs; this panel will explore the hurdles and what is needed to make the UAM vision a reality.

GET THE MOST FROM CAMX

DEMOS AND CAMPFIRE SESSIONS

NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

VIRTUAL EXHIBIT HALL

Register early for CAMX and participate in the virtual orientation. The CAMX team will share best practices and a demo on how to use the virtual platform. You will learn how to transition from a live in-person event into a virtual environment. Find more details at www.thecamx.org/networking-events.

Similar to the in-person event, CAMX will feature the exhibit hall activities you have come to expect, including live exhibitor demos and campfire sessions. View the full schedule of activities online at www.theCAMX.org.

Each day of the CAMX virtual conference and exhibition there will be dedicated times for live networking opportunities. View the detailed schedule of events at www.theCAMX.org.

Throughout the week CAMX will offer 10 hours of dedicated virtual exhibit hall time. Search for exhibiting companies by product categories or through a keyword search. Each exhibitor features their own unique content, product information, videos and more. Additionally, the matchmaking AI will suggest exhibitors for you based on your selected category and product interests. You can also request video conference meetings with sales representatives directly on the exhibitor’s landing page or chat with exhibitors one-on-one.

CAMX Exhibitors

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ACCESS TO THE VIRTUAL EXHIBIT HALLCLAIM YOUR PASS TODAY ACMA & SAMPE members: FREENon-members: $50

Register at theCAMX.org/registration

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FIND THE RIGHT REGISTRATION PACKAGEFOR YOUR NEEDS:


CAMX 2020 Virtual Exhibitors Products & Services CAMX 2020 Virtual Exhibitors Products & Services

3M Companywww.3m.com/assemblysolutionsAt 3M Company, we apply science in collaborative ways to improve lives daily. 3M offers a broad portfolio of adhesives and tapes.

Acrolabwww.acrolab.comAcrolab is the leading supplier of thermal products and ser-vices: thermocouples, RTDs, heaters, insulation board, iso-bars, mold sprays, thermal simulation, and design.

Airtech Internationalwww.airtechonline.comAirtech is the largest manufacturer of vacuum bagging and composite tooling materials for prepreg/autoclave, resin in-fusion and wet lay-up processes up to 799°F (426°C).

American Colors Inc.www.americancolors.comSince 1975, American Colors has been producing custom formulated colorants for the world's most critical applica-tions. Systems include polyester, epoxy, urethane and more.

American Composites Manufacturers Associationwww.acmanet.orgACMA is the largest trade association representing manu-facturers, suppliers, and others in the supply chain. Member benefits include market and business development, educa-tion, and networking.

Ashland Adhesiveswww.ashland.comAshland's Pliogrip(TM) adhesive has been the technology of choice for world’s leading OEMs, specified for use in trans-portation, aerospace, infrastructure, industrial and aftermar-ket repair applications.

AXEL Plastics Research Laboratorieswww.axelplastics.comAxel Plastics Research Laboratories (AXEL) is a U.S.-based manufacturer of mold release and process aid additives for all types of plastics, composites, rubbers, and urethanes.

Biesse Americawww.biesse.com

Boston Materials, Inc.www.bostonmaterials.coAt Boston Materials, we manufacture Carbon Supercomp™ products to serve the immediate need for a tougher, safer, and more versatile composite material for component man-ufacturers.

CGTechwww.cgtech.comCGTech specializes in NC/CNC simulation and optimization software. CGTech’s product, VERICUT® software, simulates CNC machining to increase efficiency while reducing prove-outs, errors and potential collisions.

CompositesOnewww.compositesone.comComposites One is the leading distributor of composites ma-terials in North America.

CRG Advanced Manufacturing Centerwww.crgrp.com/amcCRG Advanced Manufacturing Center delivers processes and parts for agile, affordable, innovative, trusted, high value aerospace and defense systems.

David H Sutherland & Co., Inc.www.dhsutherland.comDH Sutherland supplies time and temperature-sensitive chemicals and specialty materials with a focus on keeping you ahead of the design and production process. We under-stand the challenges you're up against and strive to deliver real business value.

DeltaTrakwww.deltatrak.comDeltaTrak, Inc., is a leading innovator of cold chain manage-ment and temperature monitoring solutions. Product line in-cludes temperature and humidity data loggers and wireless systems.

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Eastman Machine Companywww.eastmancuts.comEastman machines are engineered to improve the speed and accuracy of material cutting. A variety of manually operated and fully automated CNC systems provide solutions at all price points for cutting glass fiber, aramid, and carbon fiber in both dry and pre-preg form.

Elliott Company of Indianapolis Incwww.elliottfoam.com

Evonik Corporationwww.evonik.com/compositesEvonik is a manufacturer of specialty chemicals, additives, bismaleimide resins, thermoplastic resins, and semi-finished products used in composite products and markets worldwide.

Fabric Development, Inc.www.fabricdevelopment.comFDI can supply all forms of woven textile structures fabrics include Carbon, Kevlar, Fiberglass, Spectra, Vectran, Quartz, and Ceramics. FDI is registered to AS9100

General Plastics Manufacturing Companywww.generalplastics.comRigid and flexible polyurethane foam and build-to-print com-posite parts. Whether you need high-temperature tooling boards, core material or custom assemblies, expect quality with General Plastics.

Georgia-Pacific Chemicalswww.gp-chemicals.com

Hawkeye Industries, Inc.www.duratec1.comHawkeye markets Duratec, Aqua-Buff and Styrosafe prod-ucts. Proven chemistry, exacting QC, and hands-on techni-cal team set Hawkeye apart. Made in the USA - distributed worldwide.

Hexcel Corporationwww.hexcel.comHexcel Corporation is a leading advanced composites com-pany that manufactures and markets lightweight, high-per-formance structural materials, including carbon fibers, re-inforcements for composites, prepregs, honeycomb, matrix systems, adhesives, additive manufacturing and composite structures, used in commercial aerospace, space and de-fense and industrial applications.

IDI Composites International / Norplex-Micartawww.idicomposites.comIDI Composites International is a global custom formulator and manufacturer of thermoset molding compounds for molders and OEMs.

Izumi International Incwww.izumiinternational.comIzumi International supplies creels, carbonization furnaces and take-up winders for carbon fiber production and labora-tory lines. We also supply equipment for weaving, pultrusion and prepreg.

Janicki Industrieswww.janicki.comJanicki Industries is an engineering and manufacturing com-pany specializing in advanced composites. We build fly-away parts, prototypes, and production tooling. We serve many industries.

Kuraray America, Inc.www.kuraray.us.com

Montalvowww.montalvo.comAutomated processing, continuous processing, improved product quality, increased production speeds and reduced scrap are critical for composites manufacturers to meet in-creasing demand and high-volume manufacturing. Compos-ites manufacturers are discovering that they key to unlocking these benefits are through the implementation of high-quali-ty automated tension control systems.





MSC Software - e-Xstreamwww.mscsoftware.comMSC Software, global leader in engineering simulation software and services, helps organizations improve perfor-mance, efficiency, functionality, durability and cost of prod-ucts, processes, and infrastructure.

Norplex-Micartawww.norplex-micarta.comNorplex-Micarta works with designers to solve challenging problems using thermoset composites in prepreg, sheet and shape forms. With applications engineering and product de-velopment services in house, Norplex-Micarta collaboratively supports designers as they engineer new materials and en-hanced fabrication techniques that deliver composites that are predictable, repeatable in volume and affordable.

Omya Inc.www.omya.comOmya is a leading global producer of industrial minerals, mainly fillers and pigments derived from calcium carbonate, and a worldwide distributor of specialty chemicals.

Park Aerospace Corporationwww.parkaerospace.comPark Aerospace Corp. develops/manufactures solution and hot-melt advanced composite materials used for composite structures. Park also designs/fabricates composite parts, structures, assemblies and low volume tooling.

Platainewww.plataine.comPlataine’s IioT, AI-based optimization solutions for advanced manufacturing provide intelligent, connected digital assis-tants empowering production floor management and staff, to make optimized decisions in real-time.


PolyOne Advanced Compositeswww.polyone.comPolyOne Advanced Composites' portfolio of high-perfor-mance continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic and ther-moset technologies serves applications requiring high strength-to-weight ratios, stiffness and dimensional stability across a broad range of market applications. The company consists of the trademarked Glasforms, Gordon Composites and Polystrand businesses.

Rock West Compositeswww.rockwestcomposites.comDesigns, develops and manufactures carbon composite products, components and assemblies for custom applica-tions and online sales. AS9100D certified.

SAERTEX USA, LLCwww.saertex.comThe SAERTEX Group is a global market leader in the develop-ment and production of composite reinforcement solutions made of glass, carbon, aramid, and other fibers. SAERTEX products are used in many market segments including aero-space, marine, automotive, sports and leisure, railway sys-tems, pipe relining, civil infrastructure, and wind energy.

SAMPEwww.nasampe.orgThe Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE) is your global connection to the advanced materials and processes com-munity and the only technical society encompassing all ma-terials and processes fields. SAMPE delivers information on new materials and processing technologies through chapter events, publications, conferences, and tradeshows.

Scott Bader, Inc.www.scottbader.comScott Bader is a global chemical company, manufacturing ad-hesives, gelcoats, and resins for a variety of markets around the world.

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SGL Technologies GmbHwww.sglcarbon.comWe are leaders in the development and manufacture of prod-ucts based on carbon, graphite, carbon fibers, and fiber-rein-forced composites.

Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, Inc.www.ssi.shimadzu.comShimadzu’s instruments are used for a variety of composites anal-ysis, including composition and degradation analysis, static and fatigue testing, viscosity measurements and fracture ob-servations.

Symmetrix Composite Toolingwww.symmetrixcomposites.comSymmetrix Composite Tooling specializes in prototyping in-novative designs that will be built with composites. We fabri-cate high-performing molds, patterns and plugs quickly, with extreme precision.

TA Instrumentswww.tainstruments.comTA Instruments is the world leader in thermal analysis, rhe-ology, microcalorimetry and thermophysical property mea-surement. Visit us to see the latest innovations in materials characterization.

Technology Marketing Inc.www.tmi-slc.comTechnology Marketing Inc. (TMI) has supplied innovative quality products to the composites industry for over 40 years.

TeXtreme® (Oxeon, Inc.)www.textreme.comTeXtreme, the market leader in advanced carbon reinforce-ment technology, is the ultimate choice for making advanced ultra-light composites products with superior mechanical per-formance.

Thermwood Corporationwww.thermwood.comThermwood Corporation offers both 3- and 5- axis CNC ma-chining centers and now offers a large-scale additive manu-facturing system for 3D printing of thermoplastic composite materials. Thermwood is a U.S. company with distributors worldwide and provides extensive and complete support, in-stallation, training, and ongoing service.

THINKY USA Inc.www.thinkyusa.comTHINKY is a leading manufacturer of bubble-free planetary centrifugal mixers, which mix, disperse, and degas materials in minutes with or without the use of vacuum.

TORAY Industrieswww.toraytac.comGlobal expert in filament winding and composite solutions.Member of Zoltek and Toray Group.

University of Delawarewww.ccm.udel.eduThe University of Delaware’s Center for Composite Materials is an internationally recognized, interdisciplinary center of ex-cellence for composites research and education.

University of Massachusetts Lowellwww.uml.edu/Research/ACMTRL

Vectorply Corporationwww.vectorply.comVectorply is a leader in the development, manufacturing, and distribution of more than 350 styles of composite reinforce-ment fabrics for an unlimited number of applications.

Wabash MPI / Carver Inc.www.wabashmpi.comWabash MPI supplies presses for aerospace, medical, automo-tive, energy, education, R&D laboratory. Carver has more siz-es, options, & quality performance than any other line presses.

Wichita State University National Institute for Aviation Research - NIARwww.niar.wichita.edu



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ADVERTISERS INDEX

Abaris Training 57 www.abaris.com +1 775.827.6568

Airtech International, Inc. IFC www.airtechonline.com +1 714.899.8100

APCM 69 www.prepregs.com +1 860.564.7817

BTG Composites, Inc. 56 www.BTGCompositesPro.com +1 801.232.5407

Cincinnati Testing Labs 15, 69 www.metcutctl.com +1 513.851.3313

Coast-Line International 25, 69 www.coast-lineintl.com +1 631.226.0500

Composites One 5 www.compositesone.com +1 800.621.8003

Composites Sources 71 www.forcomposites.com +1 225.273.4001

DeComp Composites, Inc. 7 www.decomp.com +1 918.358.5881

Element Materials Technology Los Angeles 70 www.element.com +1 818.247.4106

Fabric Development, Inc. 70 www.fabricdevelopment.com +1 215.536.1420

General Plastics 27 www.generalplastics.com +1 253.330.7782

General Sealants, Inc. 70 www.generalsealants.com +1 800.762.1144

Heatcon Composite Systems 21 www.heatcon.com +1 206.575.1333

Janicki Industries 33 www.janicki.com +1 360.856.5143

Laser Technology BC www.laserndt.com +1 610.631.5043

C.A. Litzler Co., Inc. 70 www.calitzler.com +1 216.267.8020

Masterbond, Inc. 70 www.masterbond.com +1 201.343.8983

Matec Instrument Companies 38 www.matec.com +1 508.393.0155

McClean Anderson 57 www.mccleananderson.com +1 715.355.3006

Messe Bremen/M3B GmbH 44, 54 www.ithec.de +490 421 3505 463

Mikrosam 47 www.mikrosam.com +389 48 400 100

NDT Solutions, LLC 71 www.ndts.com +1 715.246.0433

Northern Composites 32 www.northerncomposites.com +1 603.926.1910

Pacific Coast Composites 19, 51 www.pccomposites.com +1 888.535.1810

Precision Fabrics Group 45 [email protected] +1 800.284.8001

Precision Measurements & Instruments 70 www.pmiclab.com +1 541.753.0607

Revchem Composites 30 www.revchem.com +1 800.281.4975


Siltech Corporation 40 www.siltech.com +1 416.424.4567

Shimadzu Scientific Instruments 43 www.ssi.shimadzu.com/AGX +1 800.477.1227

TANITEC Corporation 35 www.aurora-polaris.com/eng/ +81 774 88 5665

Team, Inc. 71 www.teamtextiles.com +1 401.762.1500

Technical Fibre Products 17 www.tfpglobal.com +1 518.280.8500

Technology Marketing, Inc. 71 www.tmi-slc.com +1 801.265.0111

Thermal Wave Imaging 71 www.thermalwave.com +1 248.414.3730

Thermwood Corporation IBC www.thermwood.com +1 800.533.6901

TMP, A Division of French 71 www.frenchoil.com +1 937.773.3420

Torr Technologies, Inc. 25 www.torrtech.com +1 800.845.4424

Westmoreland Mech. Testing & Research 71 www.wmtr.com +1 724.537.3131

Wyoming Test Fixtures, Inc. 49 [email protected] +1 801.484.5055

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FASTTURNAROUND


UPCOMING EVENTS / CALENDAR.

CAMX 2020 will kick off with a pre-conference webinar series and tutorials. These virtual courses are designed by experts to help attendees gain a better understanding of the composites industry.

Register at www.theCAMX.org.

FEATURED WEBINARS, TUTORIALS & VIRTUAL EVENTS

August 26, 2020-Webinar 10:00 AM PDT / 1:00 PM EDT

CAMX 2020 Free Educational Webinar | Composites 201, John Busel, American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA)

September 2, 2020-Webinar 10:00 AM PDT / 1:00 PM EDT

CAMX 2020 Free Educational Webinar | Composites Factory of the Future, Dr. Don Kinard, Lockheed Martin

September 8, 2020-tutorial 10:00 AM – 12:15 PM EDT | $225

Making a Composite Part: From Concept to Reality, Ronda Coguill | Chief Technical Officer, Highland Point, Inc.

September 8, 2020-tutorial 1:30 pm – 3:45 PM EDT | $225

Introduction to Additive Manu-facturing and Composite Tooling Applications, Rick Neff | CEO, Rick Neff, LLC


Sustainability in the Composites Industry, Stella Job | Sustainability Manager, Composites UK

September 9, 2020-tutorial 1:30 PM – 3:45 PM EDT | $225

Design & Analysis Approaches for Today's Composites, Clint Luttge-harm | President, TECHcetera


Non-Destructive Inspection & Eval-uation for Composites & Bonded Structures, Lou Dorworth | Direct Services Mgr, Abaris Training

September 10, 2020-tutorial 1:30 PM – 3:45 PM EDT | $225

Thermoplastic Composites: Materials, Markets, Applications, Jonathan Sourkes | Sr Account Mgr, TxV Aero Composites & Robert Bryant | Sr Research Materials Engr, NASA Langley Research Center

November 10 - 12, 2020Virtual eventSAMPE Graphene Leadership Summit

nasampe.org/GrapheneSummit2020

November 5, 2020 Graphene tutorial-Virtual EventFrom Lab to the Marketplace, Steve Rodgers, EmergenTek LLC

nasampe.org/GrapheneSummit2020

September 21 - 24 , 2020CAMX 2021 - Virtual Conference and Exhibition

www.thecamx.org

High Performance 5 Axis CNC Machining Centers & Large Scale Additive Manufacturing

www.thermwood.com 800-533-6901

LSAM 40’

LSAM 20’

Model 90

Model 67

Model 70

adhesives & material bonding preparation...sep 10, 2020 · as the covid-19 pandemic continues...

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