With the rapidly increasing deployment of polymer composites as the material of choice, environmentally benign methodologies for manufacturing and coating the resulting components are imperative. Several methodologies are currently in use to manufacture composites in 'closed' molds; however, the implementation of coatings is still for the most part, done using methods that provide for the release of harmful, volatile organic compounds (VOC) into the environment. The current work details the utilization of a thermo-formable polycarbonate paint film for the in-mold decoration (IMD) of composite materials manufactured using the novel Resin Infusion between Double Flexible Tooling (RIDFT) process. RIDFT is a vacuum driven process where resin infusion is performed between two reinforcement-filled flexible diaphragms. Upon completion of infusion, the flexible diaphragms are vacuum formed over a one-sided tool, providing for the rapid cost effective manufacture of composite components. In this process, in-mold decoration is achieved by including a thermo-formable polycarbonate paint film within the flexible diaphragms, over the reinforcing fabrics (fibers), prior to infusion. After infusion, the whole assembly (paint film, fibers and resin) is vacuum formed to the desired geometry, thus achieving in-mold decoration. The inclusion of a polycarbonate film to the RIDFT process required a comprehensive analysis on forming capability vs. surface quality finish of the composite assembly. With increasing temperature, better draw ability was achieved; however, print-through of the fibers through the film occurred. Several process parameters were optimized through sequential experimentation using analysis of variance (ANOVA) in terms of print-through, as the response variable. High and low levels of five controllable factors (temperature, mold type, time, fiber reinforcement, and vacuum pull) were tested. Light scatter, caused by irregular surfaces, was quantified through the use of Matlab, allowing for precise response input values. Statistical validation proved minimal print-through at a forming temperature of 147' C; however, at this temperature formability of the film was limited to subtle contours. At 160' C, the forming capability of the composite assembly was maximized, yet, surface finishes exhibited high print-through. This thesis describes achievements, difficulties, and future work in the utilization of polycarbonate films for RIDFT in-mold decoration. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of
Science. / Fall Semester, 2007. / November 15, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references. / Okenwa I. Okoli, Professor Directing Thesis; Young-Bin Park, Committee Member; Yaw A. Owusu, Committee Member; Samuel A. Awoniyi, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_183594 |
| Contributors | Puentes, Carlos Andres (authoraut), Okoli, Okenwa I. (professor directing thesis), Park, Young-Bin (committee member), Owusu, Yaw A. (committee member), Awoniyi, Samuel A. (committee member), Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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