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 new method to produce aerospace-grade composites without the massive ovens and pressure vessels currently required, aiming to speed up manufacturing.
- The technique utilizes ultrathin carbon nanotube (CNT) films to both efficiently heat the composite material for curing (out-of-oven) and generate capillary pressure to actively eliminate voids (out-of-autoclave).
- This novel process has successfully produced composites that are as strong and void-free as those made with conventional autoclave methods, making them suitable for primary aircraft structures.
- The innovation significantly reduces energy consumption and infrastructure needs, with plans to scale up the production of these pressure-generating CNT films for large components like wings and fuselages.
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