Functions of a Matrix

In a composite material, the matrix material serves the following functions:

1.Holds the fibres together.
2.Protects the fibres from environment.
3.Distributes the loads evenly between fibres so that all fibres are subjected to
the same amount of strain.
4.Enhances transverse properties of a laminate.
5.Improves impact and fracture resistance of a component.
6.Helps to avoid propagation of crack growth through the fibres by providing
alternate failure path along the interface between the fibres and the matrix.
7.Carry interlaminar shear.
Classification of composite materials
 Polymer matrix composites
• Polymer Matrix Composite (PMC) is the material consisting of a
polymer (resin) matrix combined with a fibrous reinforcing dispersed
phase.
• Polymer Matrix Composites are very popular due to their low cost and
simple fabrication methods.
• Polymers make ideal material as they are light in weight; abrasion and
chemical resistant, costs less, can be processed easily, and posses other
desirable mechanical properties. However they posses low tensile
strength and low impact strength thereby restricting them for low
strength applications.
 Applications of PMC
• Polymer composites are used to make very light bicycles that are
faster and easier to handle than standard ones, fishing boats that
are resistant to corrosive sea water and lightweight turbine blades
that generate wind power efficiently. New commercial aircraft
also contain more composites than their predecessors. A 555-
passenger plane recently built by Airbus, for example, consists of
25 percent composite material, while Boeing is designing a new
jumbo aircraft that is planned to be more than half polymer
composites.
• Polymer Matrix Composites (PMCs) are used for manufacturing:
secondary load-bearing aerospace structures, boat bodies, canoes,
kayaks, automotive parts, radio controlled vehicles, sport goods
(golf clubs, skis, tennis racquets), fishing rods, bullet-proof vests
and other armor parts, brake and clutch linings.
 Metal Matrix Composites (MMC)
• Metal matrix composites, at present though generating a wide interest in
research fraternity, are not as widely in use as their plastic counterparts.
High strength, fracture toughness and stiffness are offered by metal
matrices than those offered by their polymer counterparts.
• They can withstand elevated temperature in corrosive environment than
polymer composites. Most metals and alloys could be used as matrices and
they require reinforcement materials which need to be stable over a range of
temperature and non-reactive too. However the guiding aspect for the
choice depends essentially on the matrix material. Light metals form the
matrix for temperature application and the reinforcements in addition to the
aforementioned reasons are characterized by high moduli.
 Advantages of Composites
• High resistance to fatigue and corrosion degradation.
• High ‘strength or stiffness to weight’ ratio. As enumerated above, weight
savings are significant ranging from 25-45% of the weight of conventional
metallic designs.
• Due to greater reliability, there are fewer inspections and structural repairs.
• Directional tailoring capabilities to meet the design requirements. The fibre
pattern can be laid in a manner that will tailor the structure to efficiently
sustain the applied loads.
• Fibre to fibre redundant load path.
• Improved dent resistance is normally achieved. Composite panels do not
sustain damage as easily as thin gage sheet metals.
• It is easier to achieve smooth aerodynamic profiles for drag reduction.
Complex double-curvature parts with a smooth surface finish can be made
in one manufacturing operation.
• Composites offer improved torsional stiffness. This implies high whirling
speeds, reduced number of intermediate bearings and supporting structural
elements. The overall part count and manufacturing & assembly costs are
thus reduced.
• High resistance to impact damage.
• Thermoplastics have rapid process cycles, making them attractive for high
volume commercial applications that traditionally have been the domain of
sheet metals. Moreover, thermoplastics can also be reformed.
• Like metals, thermoplastics have indefinite shelf life.
• Composites are dimensionally stable i.e. they have low thermal
conductivity and low coefficient of thermal expansion. Composite
materials can be tailored to comply with a broad range of thermal
expansion design requirements and to minimise thermal stresses.
Manufacture and assembly are simplified because of part integration
(joint/fastener reduction) thereby reducing cost.
• The improved weatherability of composites in a marine environment
as well as their corrosion resistance and durability reduce the down
time for maintenance.
• Close tolerances can be achieved without machining.
• Material is reduced because composite parts and structures are
frequently built to shape rather than machined to the required
configuration, as is common with metals.
• Excellent heat sink properties of composites, especially Carbon-
Carbon, combined with their lightweight have extended their use for
aircraft brakes.
• Improved friction and wear properties.
• The ability to tailor the basic material properties of a Laminate has
allowed new approaches to the design of aeroelastic flight structures.
 Limitations of Composites
• High cost of raw materials and fabrication.
• Composites are more brittle than wrought metals and thus are more easily damaged.
• Transverse properties may be weak.
• Matrix is weak, therefore, low toughness.
• Reuse and disposal may be difficult.
• Difficult to attach.
• Repair introduces new problems, for the following reasons:
a. Materials require refrigerated transport and storage and have limited shelf life.
b.Hot curing is necessary in many cases requiring special tooling.
c. Hot or cold curing takes time.
d.Analysis is difficult.
e. Matrix is subject to environmental degradation.
 Hand Layup

• Hand layup process:

Gel coat is applied to open mold.
Fiberglass reinforcement is placed in the mold.
Base resin mixed with catalysts is applied by pouring and brushing.
Layup is made by building layer upon layer to obtain the desired
thickness.
The most popular type of Open Molding is Hand Layup process. The
Hand Layup is a manual, slow, labor consuming method, which
involves the following operations:
• The mold is coated by a release anti-adhesive agent, preventing
sticking the molded part to the mold surface.
• The prime surface layer of the part is formed by applying gel coating.
• A layer of fine fiber reinforcing tissue is applied.
• Layers of the liquid matrix resin and reinforcing fibers in form of
woven fabric, rovings or chopped strands are applied. The resin mixture
may be applied by either brush or roll.
• The part is cured (usually at room temperature).
• The part is removed from the mold surface.
• The disadvantages of the Hand Layup method are:
low concentration of reinforcing phase (up to 30%) and low
densification of the composites (entrapped air bubbles).
 Hand Layup

Advantages: Potential Problems:

• Advantages: • Labour intensive.
• Widely used. • Low-volume process.
• Low tooling cost. • Styrene emission.
• Custom shape. • Quality control is entirely
• Larger and complex items can be • dependent on the skill of
produced. • labourers.
 SPRAYUP
• In Sprayup process liquid resin matrix and chopped reinforcing fibers
are sprayed by two separate sprays onto the mold surface.
• The fibers are chopped into fibers of 1-2” (25-50 mm) length and then
sprayed by an air jet simultaneously with a resin spray at a
predetermined ratio between the reinforcing and matrix phase.
• The Sprayup method permits rapid formation of uniform composite
coating, however the mechanical properties of the material are
moderate since the method is unable to use continuous reinforcing
fibers.
A spray gun supplying resin in two converging streams into which roving is chopped.
Automation with robots results in high rate of production. Labor costs are lower.
 Hand and Spray Layup

• In both the cases the deposited layers are densified with rollers.
• Catalysts and Accelerators are used.
• * Catalyst - substance added to the gel coat or resin to initiate the
curing process.
• * Accelerator - A compound added to speed up the action of a
catalyst in a resin mix.
• Curing at room temperature or at a moderately high temperature in an
oven.
Advantages of Hand Layup and Sprayup

• Tooling cost is low.

• Semiskilled workers are easily trained.
• Design Flexibility.
• Molded-in inserts and structural changes are possible.
• Sandwich constructions are possible.
• Large and Complex items can be produced.
• Minimum equipment investment is necessary.
• The startup lead time and the cost are minimal.
Disadvantages of Hand Layup and Sprayup

• Labor Intensive.
• Low volume process.
• Longer curing times.
• Production uniformity is difficult.
• Waste factor is high.
Pultrusion
• Pultrusion is a process where composite parts are manufactured by
pulling layers of fibres/fabrics, impregnated with resin, through a
heated die, thus forming the desired cross-sectional shape with no
part length limitation.
Pultrusion
• Pultrusion is an automated, highly productive process of fabrication
of Polymer Matrix Composites in form of continuous long products of
constant cross-section.
• A scheme of the process is presented on the picture:
 Pultrusion
• Pultrusion process involves the following operations:
• Reinforcing fibers are pulled from the creels. Fiber (roving) creels
may be followed by rolled mat or fabric creels. Pulling action is controlled by the pulling system.
• Guide plates collect the fibers into a bundle and direct it to the resin bath.
• Fibers enter the resin bath where they are wetted and impregnated
with liquid resin. Liquid resin contains thermosetting polymer, pigment, fillers, catalyst and other
additives.
• The wet fibers exit the bath and enter preformer where the excessive resin is squeezed out from
fibers and the material is shaped.
• The preformed fibers pass through the heated die where the final cross-section dimensions are
determined and the resin curing occurs.
• The cured product is cut on the desired length by the cut-off saw
 Pultrusion
• Pultrusion process is characterized by the following features:
• High productivity.
• The process parameters are easily controllable.
• Low manual labor component.
• Precise cross-section dimensions of the products.
• Good surface quality of the products.
• Homogeneous distribution and high concentration of the
reinforcing fibers in the material is achieved (up to 80% of roving
reinforcement, up to 50% of mixed mat + roving reinforcement).
• Pultrusion is used for fabrication of Fiber glass and Carbon fiber
reinforced polymer composites and Kevlar (aramid) fiber reinforced
polymers.
Manufacturing
– Fibers are brought
together over rollers,
dipped in resin and drawn
through a heated die. A
continuous cross section
composite part emerges
on the other side.
• Advantages: • Potential Problems:
• Minimal kinking of fibres/fabrics • Improper fibre wet-out
• Rapid processing • Fibre breakage
• Low material scrap rate • Inadequate cure
• Good quality control • Die jamming
• Complex die design
 Resin Transfer Molding
In the RTM process, dry (i.e. non-impregnated ) reinforcement is
preshaped and oriented into skeleton of the actual part known as the
preform which is inserted into a matched die mold.
•The heated mold is closed and the liquid resin is injected
•The part is cured in mold.
•The mold is opened and part is removed from mold.
Transfer Molding (Resin Transfer Molding) is a Closed Mold process in which a pre-weighed
amount of a polymer is preheated in a separate chamber (transfer pot) and then forced into a preheated
mold filled with a reinforcing fibers, taking a shape of the mold cavity, impregnating the fibers and
performing curing due to heat and pressure applied to the material.
• The picture below illustrates the Transfer Molding Process.
• The method uses a split mold and a third plate equipped with a plunger mounted in a hydraulic press.
• The method combines features of both Compression Molding - hydraulic pressing, the same molding
materials (thermosets) and Injection Molding – ram (plunger), filling the mold through a sprue.
• Transfer Molding cycle time is shorter than Compression Molding cycle but longer than Injection
Molding cycle.
• The method is capable to produce very large parts (car body shell), more complicated than
Compression Molding, but not as complicated as Injection Molding.
Transfer Molding process involves the following steps:
• The mold cavity is filled with preformed reinforcing fibers.
• A pre-weighed amount of a polymer mixed with additives and fillers (charge) is placed into the transfer pot.
• The charge may be in form of powders, pellets, puttylike masses or pre-formed blanks.
• The charge is heated in the pot where the polymer softens.
• The plunger, mounted on the top plate, moves downwards, pressing on the polymer charge and forcing it to fill the
mold cavity through the sprue and impregnate the fibers.
• The mold, equipped with a heating system, provides curing (cross-linking) of the polymer (if thermoset is processed).
• The mold is opened and the part is removed from it by means of the ejector pin.
• If thermosetting resin is molded, the mold may be open in hot state – cured thermosets maintain their shape and
dimensions even in hot state.
• If thermoplastic is molded, the mold and the molded part are cooled down before opening.
• The scrap left on the pot bottom (cull), in the sprue and in the channels is removed. Scrap of thermosetting polymers
is not recyclable.
Advantages of RTM

• Large complex shapes and curvatures can be made easily.

• High level of automation.
• Layup is simpler than in manual operations.
• Takes less time to produce.
• Fiber volume fractions as high as 60% can be achieved.
• Styrene emission can be reduced to a minimum.
• Cost effective High volume process for large-scale processing.
Disadvantages of RTM

• Mold design is complex and requires mold-filling analysis.

• Fiber reinforcement may "wash" or move during resin transfer.