Electron Beam Curing of Composites

ElectronBeamCuringofComposites
WrittenbyAZoM Sep72001

TopicsCovered
Background

ResearchCollaborators

AchievementstoDate

TheElectronBeamCuringMechanism

Accelerators

ElectronBeamCuringMaterials

Resins

Fibres

AdvantagesofElectronBeamCuring

Processing

MaterialsProperties

EnvironmentalandHealth

ResearchProgrammes

AirCanada

USAirForce

AdvancedShortTakeOffVerticalLanding(ASTOVL)Craft

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Electron Beam Curing of Composites

NASA

CASA

Summary

Background
AcsionIndustries,acompanybornoutoftheCanadianatomicenergyorganisation,is
developingcompositematerialsprocessingtechnologiesforthenextgenerationofhigh
speedpassengeraeroplanes,newfighteraircraft,andthereplacementvehicleforthe
SpaceShuttle.Theareaisrapidlyadvancing,sincetheideatookoffinabout1985.The
technologyutiliseshighspeed,highenergyelectronbeamsandinvolveselectronbeam
curingforcomposites,arelativelynewtechniqueforprocessingcomponentsthatcould
haveamassiveimpactintheaerospaceanddefenceindustriesandbeyond.

ResearchCollaborators
Electronbeamcuringisbeingtoutedasareplacementforautoclavecuringof
composites.AcsionIndustries,OakRidgeNationalLaboratory'sCentreforMaterials
Processing,SandiaNationalLaboratory,LockheedMartin,NorthrupGrummanand
BoeingCommercialAirplaneGroupareamongthekeyplayerspushingforwarda
technologythattheyclaimcouldreducecostssignificantly,speedupprocessingand
offerbettermaterialsproperties.TheUSDepartmentofEnergyisbackingthework
throughaCooperativeResearchandDevelopmentAgreement(CRADA)project.

AchievementstoDate
Thisresearchhasbeenbearingfruitsincethemid1990s.Arangeofelectronbeam
curableepoxyresinsisnowcommerciallyavailableandthematerialsandtechnology
havebeentriedoutsuccessfullyinalargenumberofapplications.Acsionrecently
signedanagreementwithAirCanada,followinglengthyinsitutrials,fortheproduction
andrepairofsomeofthecompositecomponentsinitsA320Airbusplanesusing
electronbeamprocessing.Lockheedisinvestigatingtheuseofelectronbeam
processingforcuringwholewingsandfuselagesectionsforitshighspeedciviltransport
aircraftandfortheVentureStar,theSpaceShuttlereplacementvehicle,figure1.NASA
isalsointerestedintakingthetechnologyintospace,whereitcouldbeusedtocure
compositesforsatellitesandotherorbitingstructuressuchastheInternationalSpace

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Station.

Figure1.TheX33orVentureStar,proposedreplacementforthespaceshuttle,which
coulduseelectronbeamcuredcompositefueltanks.

TheElectronBeamCuringMechanism
Behindallofthesepossibleapplicationsissomerelativelysimplechemistryandphysics.
RadiationcuringofpolymersusingcationicinitiatorsisacommonprocessUVlighthas
beenusedtocureavarietyofmaterialsforsurfacecoatingsforsometime.Basically,the
radiationcreatespositiveionsfromtheinitiatormolecules,whichthensetoffa
polymerisationprocess.Freeradicalroutesarealsopossibleinsomematerials.

Electronbeamsworkbytheincominghighspeedelectronsknockingoffotherelectrons
inthepolymerinitiatormix,whichiswhycuringisquickerandbetterasthebeamenergy
isincreased.Thehighenergyoftheelectronbeams,andalsothexraysthatcanbe
generatedfromthesebeams,meansthattheradiationpenetratesintothecomposite,
givingauniformcuretomaterialsseveralcentimetresthick.LowerenergyUVlight
cannotpenetratethematerial,makingitpoorforcuringanythingotherthanthincoatings.

Accelerators
Acsionspilotacceleratorhadapowerof1kWandproducedhighenergy10MeV
electrons.Suchelectronscanbeusedtoprocessgraphitecompositesupto5cmthick
byusingtwosidedcuring.Industrialacceleratorsarenowavailable,ratedat50kWand
producingthesameenergyelectrons,thatcanprocesscompositesatarateof1000kg
perhourinacontinuousprocess.Thickcompositeswithcrosssectionsof16cmcanbe
processedat250kgperhourbyconvertingelectronstoxraysfordeeperpenetration.
Largeraccelerators,upto200kW,arealsoavailable,offeringevenfasterprocessing.
Becauseelectronbeamcuringtakesminutesasopposedtohoursforthermalcuring,the
processoffersamuchfasterthroughput.

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ElectronBeamCuringMaterials
Newtechniquessuchaselectronbeamcuringarereliantonmaterialsfortheirsuccess.
Keytothecurrentincreaseinelectronbeamcuringactivityisthedevelopmentofa
rangeofepoxyresinsthatcanbeloadedwithcationicinitiatorandproducecomposites
withtherequiredproperties.Earlyresearchlookedatusingvinylesters,andacrylate
andmethacrylateresins,butthesehadhighshrinkage,poorthermalpropertiesandpoor
mechanicalproperties.However,thenewepoxyresinsofferexcellentpropertiesthat
meetorexceedthoseofthermallycuredresins.

Resins
Hundredsofdifferentresinsystems,includingtoughenedformulations,arenow
available,someofwhicharetailoredtocustomerspecifications.Thematerialsgenerally
offerlowshrinkageoncuring(23%),aglasstransitiontemperatureofupto400C,very
lowwaterabsorption(lessthan2%)andanextendedstoragelifetimeatambient
temperatures.Theyallcureinminutestoproducecompositeswithhighperformance
mechanicalproperties.

Fibres
Thenewresinscanbereinforcedwithallexistingfibres.Carbonandgraphitefibresare
highlystabletothetreatmentand,asgoodelectricalconductors,ensurenocharge
buildupinthickerparts.Glassandaramidfibresarealsoveryresistanttoradiation,and
otherfibressuchaspolyethylene,canbeusedinthecompositesbecausethereislittle
ornoheatingduringcuring.

AdvantagesofElectronBeamCuring

Processing
Electronbeamprocessingoffersanumberofotherbenefitsoverthermalcuring.Oneof
themostobviousiscost.Eightindependentstudieshaveshownpotentialmanufacturing
costsavingsof2565%.Forprototypingalone,thiscouldrisetoasmuchas9095%.
Thisisbecauseelectronbeamprocessing,aswellasgreatlyspeedingupcuringtime,
curesthematerialsatambienttemperatures,allowingtoolstobemadefromverylow
costmaterialssuchasfoamorwood.Savingsaremarkedforcomplexshaped
componentssuchasengineinletsandcryogenictanks.Thestabilityoftheresinsalso

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reducescostsbecausetheyhaveanalmostindefiniteshelflife.

Anotheradvantageoftheelectronbeamprocessisitsabilitytocombineseveraldifferent
resinsystemsinthesamecuringcycle.Thismaynotbepossiblewiththermalcuring,
becausethedifferentsystemsmayneeddifferenttemperaturesorcuretimes.Thisisnot
aproblemforelectronbeamcuringbecausethebeamofelectronsisrasteredacrossthe
partbeingcured,andthedosegiventoeachareaofthecomponentcanbepre
programmed.Thus,differentresinsareeasilyprocessedonthesameline,which
enablesthedevelopmentofnewproductswithtailormadecrosslinkingprofilestogive
thenecessarypropertiesinparticularareasofacomponent.

MaterialsProperties
Electronbeamcuredcompositesoftenhaveimprovedmechanicalpropertiescompared
tothermallycuredmaterials,andtheseareretained(andsometimesimproved)following
thermalorcryogeniccycling.Infact,oneofthekeyadvantagesofelectronbeamcuring
isthatitcanreduceresidualinternalstressesinthemicrostructureofcompositeparts.
Thestressesareinducedduringcoolingandcandevelopwithinlayers,owingtothelow
linearexpansionofthefibrescomparedtotheresin,orbetweenlayers.Suchstresses
canlimitcompositepartdesign.However,electronbeamcuringreducessuchstresses
becauseprocessingtemperaturecanbeambientorevenlower.Thisisverybeneficial
forproducingcryogenictanks,whichmustholdfluidsattemperaturesof200to255C.
Conventionalthermalcuringiscarriedoutat150to200C,andthislargedifferencecan
causeslargestresses,whichareeliminatedusingtheelectronbeamtechnique.

EnvironmentalandHealth
Theelectronbeamtechniquealsooffersenvironmentalandhealthbenefits.Theamount
ofvolatilesproducedusingthistechnologyarereducedsignificantly,withtheresins
typicallyproducing0.1%orlessvolatiles.Stackemissionsofvolatilechemicalsfrom
electronbeamcuringcanbeaslowas1%oftheemissionsfromthermallycuredresins.
Inaddition,chemicalcrosslinkingagentsforthermosettingresins,whichcanbetoxicand
carcinogenic,canbeeliminated.

ResearchProgrammes

AirCanada
Thesignsarethatelectronbeamcuringisbeginningtoemergeasacommercial

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process.OnMarch15,1999,AcsionandAirCanadasignedatechnologytransfer
agreementtojointlydeveloptheelectronbeamcuringprocessforrepairingand
manufacturingcertaincomponents.Thiscameaboutfollowingsuccessfultrialsona
wingtobodyfairingofanA320passengeraircraft,figure2.Thispartwaschosen
Currentrepairtechniquesareverytimeconsumingandthecuringpropertiesarenot
optimal,withassociatedhighmaintenancecosts.Itisestimatedthatevery8hoursof
downtimeforaplanecostshalfamilliondollars.

Figure2.Therepairedpanel(left)andreinstalledforservice(right)

Compositecomponentsmakeup2025%ofthestructuralweightofanA320aircraft,
andsoitisvitaltousearapidrepairtechniqueforanycomponentsthatgetdamagedby
lightningstrikes,birdstrikes,foreignobjectsetc.AcsionandAirCanadadecidedtotry
electronbeamcuringatAirCanadasMaintenanceBaseinWinnipeg,beginningwiththe
A320fairing.Thecomponentwaschosenbecauseitsfunctionandlocationexposeitto
damagefrombaggagehandlingequipmentandobjectsbeingthrownupbytheaircraft's
wheelsanyrepairwouldhavetowithstandalotofabuse.

AdamagedpanelononeofAirCanadasplaneswasrepairedbyelectronbeamcuring
freshmaterial,andthepanelwasthenmonitoredfor1800hoursofflyingand900take
offsandlandings.Thetestpartssurvivedthetestregimentandalsohadhigherlap
shearstrength,betterhotwetpropertiesandhighercrosslinkdensitythanusingthe
standardrepairprocess,andsowasbetterabletowithstandtherigoursofflight.Air
Canadawillnowroutinelyuseelectronbeamcuringforthewingtobodyfairings,afirst
foranyaircraft,militaryorcivilian.

Meanwhile,twootherpanelshavebeenrepairedandmonitoredwithsimilarresults.
Eventuallyelectronbeamcuringcouldbeusedtorepairallthecompositecomponents
ontheaircraft,minimisingdowntimeandsosavingmoney.Itispossiblethatrepairs
couldbecarriedoutontherunwaybyaremotelycontrolledcuringsystem,withnew

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materialsbeingrapidlylaiduptorepairthedamageandthepanelcouldbecuredwithin
minutes,readyfortakeoffagain.

USAirForce
Militaryaircraftandothercivilianaircraftarealsobenefitingfromelectronbeamcuring.
ThecompositewindshieldframefortheT38jettraineraircrafthasbeentackledbyOak
RidgeCentreforManufacturingTechnologyandtheUSAirForce.Steelreinforced
sectionswerexraycuredandallcompositesectionswereelectroncuredinasimpler,
cheapermanufacturingprocessthanpreviouslyused.LockheedMartinisassessingthe
technique,too,forthejointStrikeFighteraircraft.

AdvancedShortTakeOffVerticalLanding(ASTOVL)
Craft
AcsionareworkingwithLockheedMartinonaDARPAprojectcalled`Integratedairframe
technologiesforaffordability,lookingatproducingtheASTOVLadvancedshorttake
offverticallandingcraft,figure3.Theplanewouldbe95%compositesandbe
constructedfromfarfewerpartsthannormalperhapsasfewas500comparedto2500.
Electronbeamcuringcouldplayamajorroleinitsconstruction.Theproposedplane
wouldhaveaonepiece40footbulkhead,aonepiecetopfuselageandaonepiece
bottomfuselage.Suchenormouspartscouldnotbecuredinanautoclavebutwouldnot
presentaproblemforelectronbeamprocessing.

Figure3.TheproposedF22ASTOVLaircraft,whichcouldpotentiallybemadefrom
95%composites.

NASA
AcsionisalsotalkingofproducingbigcomponentswithNASAsLewisLab.Inthiscase,
thewholewingstructureofthehighspeedciviltransportaircraft.Potentialsavingsper
wingoverconventionaltechnologiesareenormous.Itisestimatedthattherewouldbea

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$6millionsavingoverautoclaveforsetup,plusanadditional$2millionenergysavings
and%body%.5millionsavingsontooling.Theoretically,usingelectronbeamprocessing
couldsavemorethan$8millionperwing.

Thesecostsavingsarealsoattractingspaceapplications.AcsionandLockheedMartin
SkunkWorksareworkingontheproductionofliquidhydrogenandoxygentanksforthe
X33orVentureStar,thereplacementfortheSpaceShuttle.Thesetankswouldneedto
be30mby16m,andthereisnoautoclavebigenoughtoprocesstheseparts.Electron
beamcuringwouldreducetheinternalstressinthecompositetanks,givelower
microcracking,andoffermuchbetterhydrogenpermeabilitythanrequired.Thetotalcost
usingelectronbeamcuringwouldbeabout$65million,comparedto$100millionor
moreforconventionaltechniques.

CASA
AcsionhasalsoproducedasatellitereflectordishbyelectronbeamcuringforCASA,the
Spanishspaceagency.Thedishneededdimensionalstabilityatanoperating
temperatureof100C,whichwaseasilyachievedinanelectronbeamcuringprocess
thattooklessthan6hours.

Summary
Thefutureisbrightforelectronbeamprocessingofcomposites.Apartfromtheprojects
describedabovetherearemanymorepotentialandplannedresearchprogrammes
lookingintoresindevelopment,adhesivedevelopment(toreplaceboltsandrivets)and
interfacechemistry,toimprovetheinterlaminarshearpropertiesofelectronbeam
curablecomposites.Therearealsootherprogrammeslookingintocompositesrepair
applicationsforbothmilitaryandcivilianaircraft.

Acsionitselfislookingtoexpandasthenumberofapplicationsforthetechniquegrow,
andmaybuildamanufacturingandrepairfacilityintheUK,possibly.Atthemoment,he
thinksthattheUKisatleastfiveyearsbehindNorthAmericainelectronbeam
processing,butifcurrentprogresscontinues,thenelectronbeamprocessingknowhow
couldspreadworldwideandbecomeoneofthekeycompositematerialstechnologies.

Primaryauthor:VinceLopata

Source:MaterialsWorld,Vol.7no.7,July1999,pp.398400.

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FormoreinformationonMaterialsWorldpleasevisitTheInstituteofMaterials

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