Cytec Industries Inc.

Cytec Technology Corporation

Cytec Engineered Materials Limited

Mitchell Smith

Marc Doyle

William Alan Jacobs

Richard Louis Price

Carmelo Luca Restuccia

Dominique Ponsolle

Robert Blackburn

Carmelo LoFaro

Abdel Abusafieh

Mark Roman

Carmelo Lofaro

Disclosed herein is a dry, self-supporting fibrous material, the fibers of which have been treated with a binder composition. The fibrous material can be slit into tapes or tows that are suitable for use in an Automated Tape Laying (ATL) or Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) process. This fibrous material is suitable for forming preforms which are configured to receive a matrix resin by resin infusion in the manufacturing of structural composite parts.

Dry fibrous material for subsequent resin infusion

Methods and apparatuses for making PMC's and composites include an infusing step wherein the resin reservoir and the preform are maintained under substantially the same vacuum pressure during the infusing step. Substantially the same vacuum pressure may be accomplished using a collapsible resin reservoir that is enclosed within or external to the vacuum bagging assembly of the fiber preform. This method results in a maximum achievable vacuum compaction pressure and simplified resin infusion process. This process may be used to manufacture prepregs and aerospace grade fiber reinforced resin composites, also disclosed herein, that have fiber volume, void content and laminate quality that meets or exceeds those made using an autoclave.

Constant pressure infusion process for resin transfer molding

Growing community of inventors

Bel Air, MD, United States of America

Mitchell Smith