Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are developing a method to produce aerospace-grade composites without the enormous ovens and pressure vessels currently used in the process. The technique may help to speed up the manufacturing of airplanes and other large, high-performance composite structures, such as blades for wind turbines. The researchers detail their new method in a paper published in the journal Advanced Materials Interfaces.
MIT Produces Aviation-Grade Composites With No Ovens or Autoclaves
Key Takeaways:
- MIT engineers are developing a novel method to produce aerospace-grade composites, eliminating the need for energy-intensive ovens and massive pressure vessels (autoclaves) currently used in manufacturing.
- The technique utilizes ultrathin carbon nanotube (CNT) films that act as "nanoscale electric blankets" for heating and curing, and as capillary structures to draw materials together, preventing strength-compromising voids.
- This innovative "out-of-oven" and "out-of-autoclave" process yields composites for primary aerospace structures (like wings and fuselages) that are as strong and void-free as those produced by conventional, costlier methods.
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