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AssigneeCytec Technology Corp.
InventorsGuo Feng Xu, Linas Repecka, Steve Mortimer, Steve Peake, Jack Boyd
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The invention provides a method of forming a void-free laminate, comprising the steps of: (a) enclosing a partially impregnated prepreg in a vacuum envelope, said partially impregnated prepreg comprising a fiber layer partially impregnated with a resin composition; and (b) heating said partially impregnated prepreg under vacuum to withdraw air present in said partially impregnated prepreg and to cause said resin composition (i) to fully infuse into said fiber layer and (ii) to cure thereby forming said void-free laminate. The present invention further provides novel combinations of modified epoxy resins that may be employed with the methods disclosed. The void-free laminates may be utilized for the manufacture of parts for the aerospace and aircraft industries.
A partially impregnated prepreg comprising a fiber layer partially impregnated with a resin composition such that a portion of the fiber layer is not initially contacted with the resin composition, said resin composition being a semi-solid at room temperature and having reduced viscosity at a cure temperature greater than room temperature such that when heated in a vacuum envelope in the absence of autoclave pressure, the resin flows and fully infuses into said fiber layer and cures to form a void-free laminate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.