Manufacturing Techniques of FRP

Composites
 Hand lay Up
Open Mold processes
Automated Tape Laying

Compression Molding
Processes for Closed Mold processes
continuous fiber Resin Transfer Molding
PMCs Filament Winding

Pultrusion processes

FRP
Other Tube Rolling
Manufacturing
Techniques
Open Mold processes Spray Up

Compression Molding
Processes for short
fiber PMCs Closed Mold processes Transfer Molding

Injection Molding

Centrifugal Casting
Other
Continuous laminating
Hand Lay-up Method
▪ Oldest and simplest open mold method for FRP laminates, dating to the 1940s when it was first
used for boat hulls
▪ Also called wet lay-up
▪ It involves building up layers of chopped glass or woven glass mat impregnated with catalyzed
resin around a suitable mold. The reinforcement is then rolled for better wet-out and removing
trapped air.

Materials Options
• Resins: Any, e.g. epoxy, polyester,
vinylester, phenolic.
• Fibres: Any, although heavy aramid
fabrics can be hard to wet-out by
hand.
• Cores: Any.
Hand Lay-up Method (Contd)

1. Mold is treated with mold release agent;

2. Thin gel coat (resin) is applied, to the outside surface of molding
3. When gel coat has partially set, layers of resin and fiber are
applied, the fiber is in the form of mat or cloth; each layer is rolled
to impregnate the fiber with resin and remove air
4. Part is cured
5. Fully hardened part is removed from mold.
Hand Lay-up Method (Contd)

Typical Applications
Generally large in size but low in production quantity - not economical for high production
– Standard wind-turbine blades, production boats, architectural mouldings, Boat hulls,
swimming pools, large container tanks, movie and stage props

Advantages
✓ Simple
✓ Any combination of fibres and matrix materials can be used.
✓ Low cost tooling, if room-temperature cure resins are used.
✓ Higher fibre contents, and longer fibres than with spray lay-up
✓ Perfect for prototypes and short production runs
The largest molding ever made was ship
hulls for the British Royal Navy: 85 m
(280 ft) long
Hand Lay-up Method (Contd)

Disadvantages

1. Labour intensive
2. Resin mixing, laminate resin contents, and laminate quality are very dependent on the skills of
laminators. Low resin content laminates cannot usually be achieved without the incorporation
of excessive quantities of voids.
3. Health and safety considerations of resins. The lower molecular weights of hand lay-up resins
generally means that they have the potential to be more harmful than higher molecular weight
products. The lower viscosity of the resins also means that they have an increased tendency to
penetrate clothing etc.
4. Resins need to be low in viscosity to be workable by hand. This generally compromises their
mechanical/thermal properties due to the need for high diluent/styrene levels.
 Filament Winding Method
▪ An automated process that applies resin-saturated,
continuous strands of fiber reinforcements over a rotating
cylindrical mold.
▪ Fibre tows are passed through a resin bath before being
wound onto a mandrel in a variety of orientations,
controlled by the fibre feeding mechanism, and rate of
rotation of the mandrel.
Materials Options
• Resins: Any, e.g. epoxy, polyester,
vinylester, phenolic.
• Fibres: Any. The fibres are used straight
from a creel and not woven or stitched
into a fabric form.
• Cores: Any, although components are
usually single skin.
Typical Applications:
• Primarily used for hollow, generally
circular or oval sectioned components
• Chemical storage tanks and pipelines, gas
cylinders, fire-fighters' breathing tanks
Filament Winding Method (Contd)

1. Resin-impregnated continuous fibers are

wrapped around a rotating mandrel that has
the internal shape of the desired FRP
product
2. The resin is then cured and the mandrel
removed
3. The fiber rovings are pulled through a
resin bath immediately before being
wound in a helical pattern onto the
mandrel
4. The operation is repeated to form
additional layers, each having a criss-
cross pattern with the previous, until the
desired part thickness has been obtained
Filament Winding Method (Contd)

Advantages:
✓ Fast and thus economic method of laying material down.
✓ Resin content can be controlled by metering the resin onto each fibre tow through nips or dies.
✓ Minimum fibre cost since no secondary process to convert fibre into fabric prior to use.
✓ Good structural properties of laminates since straight fibres can be laid in a complex pattern to
match the applied loads.
Disadvantages:
• Limited to convex shaped components.
• Fibre cannot easily be laid exactly along the length of a component.
• High mandrel costs for large components
• The external surface of the component is unmoulded, and therefore cosmetically unattractive.
• Low viscosity resins usually need to be used with their attendant lower mechanical and health and
safety properties.
 Resin Transfer Molding
▪ A low pressure, closed-molding method in which
reinforcement material is loaded into a closed mold, the
mold is clamped, and resin is pumped in (through injection
ports) under pressure.
▪ Sometimes called liquid molding
▪ This process produces complex parts with smooth finishes
on both sides
▪ Process can be manual control, semi-automated or highly
automated.
Materials Options:
• Resins: Generally epoxy, polyester, vinyl ester
and phenolic, although high temperature
resins such as bismaleimides can be used at
elevated process temperatures.
• Fibres: Any. Stitched materials work well in
this process since the gaps allow rapid resin
transport. Some specially developed fabrics
can assist with resin flow.
• Cores: Not honeycombs, since cells would fill
with resin, and pressures involved can crush
some foams.
 Resin Transfer Molding (Contd)

1. Resin is transferred over the already placed

reinforcement
2. Reinforcement in terms of either woven mat or
strand mat form is placed on the surface of lower
half mold.
3. A release gel is applied on the mold surface for easy
removal of the composite.
4. The mold is properly closed and clamped. The
clamping can be done either perimeter clamping or
press clamping mechanism
5. The resin is pumped into the mold through ports
usually using vacuum pressure and air is displaced
through other vents
6. After curing, the mold is opened and composite
product is taken out
Resin Transfer Molding (Contd)
Typical Applications:
• Generally limited to smaller components.
• Small complex aircraft and automotive components, train seats.
Advantages:
✓ Fast cycle time can be achieved through temperature control tooling device.
✓ does not require high injection pressure
✓ High fibre volume laminates can be obtained with very low void contents.
✓ Good health and safety, and environmental control due to enclosure of resin.
✓ Possible labour reductions.
✓ Good surface finish on both side surface of the product.
Disadvantages:
1. Matched tooling is expensive, and heavy in order to withstand pressures.
2. Unimpregnated areas can occur resulting in very expensive scrap parts.
 Injection Molding
▪ Noted for low cost production of plastic parts in large quantities
Conventional injection molding
• Virtually all TPs can be reinforced
with fibers, can be adapted to TSs
• Chopped fibers must be used
–Continuous fibers would be reduced
by the action of the rotating screw in
the barrel
• During injection into the mold
cavity, fibers tend to become
aligned as they pass the nozzle
Reaction injection molding
(RIM)
Two reactive ingredients are
mixed and injected into a
mold cavity where curing
and solidification occur due
to chemical reaction
Advantages: no heat energy
required, lower cost mold),
with the added benefit of
fiber-reinforcement
Reinforced reaction injection
molding (RRIM)
• Similar to RIM but includes
reinforcing fibers, typically glass
fibers, in the mixture
• Advantages: similar to RIM
• Products: auto body,
truck cab applications
for bumpers, fenders,
and other body parts
 Pultrusion (Contd)

1. Fibres are pulled from a creel through a resin bath

and then on through a heated die.
2. The die completes the impregnation of the fibre,
controls the resin content and cures the material
into its final shape as it passes through the die.
3. The sections produced are reinforced throughout
their length by continuous fibers
4. The pieces have a constant cross section, whose
profile is determined by the shape of the die opening
5. This cured profile is then automatically cut to
length.
6. Fabrics may also be introduced into the die to
provide fibre direction other than at 0°.
Pultrusion (Contd)

Typical Applications
• Used to manufacture constant cross-section shapes of any length
• Beams and girders used in roof structures, bridges, ladders, frameworks
Advantages
✓ Fast, thus economic, way of impregnating and curing materials.
✓ Resin content can be accurately controlled.
✓ Fibre cost is minimised since the majority is taken from a creel.
✓ Superior structural properties of laminates since the profiles have very straight fibres and high fibre
volume fractions can be obtained.
✓ Resin impregnation area can be enclosed thus limiting volatile emissions.
Disadvantages
• Limited to constant or near constant cross-section components
• Heated die costs can be high
Pulforming

▪ A variant of pultrusion for introducing

some variation to be introduced into the
cross-section.
▪ Pultrusion with additional steps to form
the length into a semicircular contour and
alter the cross section at one or more
locations along the length
▪ The process pulls the materials through
the die for impregnation, and then clamps
them in a mould for curing. This makes
the process non-continuous, but
accommodating of small changes in
cross-section.
Prepreg Moulding
▪ A highly specialised method of composite
manufacture mainly used in aviation
▪ Fabrics and fibres are pre-impregnated by the
materials manufacturer, under heat and pressure or
with solvent, with a pre-catalysed resin.
▪ The catalyst is largely latent at ambient temp giving
the materials several weeks, or sometimes months,
of useful life when defrosted. However to prolong
storage life the materials are stored frozen.
▪ The resin is usually a near-solid at ambient
temperatures, and so the pre-impregnated
materials (prepregs) have a light sticky feel to them,
such as that of adhesive tape.
Materials Options:
• Resins: Generally epoxy, polyester,
phenolic and high temperature resins
such as polyimides, cyanate esters and
bismaleimides.
• Fibres: Any. Used either direct from a
creel or as any type of fabric.
• Cores: Any, although special types of
foam need to be used due to the
elevated temperatures involved in the
process.
Prepreg Moulding (Contd)

1. Unidirectional materials take fibre direct from a creel, and are held together by the resin alone.
2. The prepregs are laid up by hand or machine onto a mould surface, vacuum bagged and then heated to
typically 120-180°C. This allows the resin to initially reflow and eventually to cure.
3. Additional pressure for the moulding is usually provided by an autoclave (effectively a pressurised oven)
which can apply up to 5 atmospheres to the laminate.

Typical Applications:

• Aircraft structural components (e.g.

wings and tail sections)
• F1 racing cars
• Sporting goods such as tennis
racquets and skis.