SBIR-STTR Award

The use of irradiation (typically electron beam processing) techniques to cure composite materials offers several advantages: (1) curing at ambient temperatures (2) reduced curing times (3) continuous operation allowing immediate next process (4) improved resin stability (5) less atmospheric pollution (6) increased design flexibility through process control a review and selection of materials for later process development is proposed.

During the Phase I project, feasibility of radiation curing for composites was demonstrated. The demonstration effectively exhibited two of the primary advantages of radiation curing: (1) The absence of thermal gradients, allowing the construction of parts from fibers with different coefficients of thermal expansion. (2) The absence of volatile gases, eliminating voids and resulting in significantly improved densities. This Phase II project further optimizes resin development, initiates a data base and produces an actual candidate part prototype for use on future armored vehicles.