Composites Part A 2lA (1996) 219-227

Copyright 0 1996 Elsevier Science Limited

Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved
1359-835X(95)00023-2 1359-835X/96/%15.00

Staged curing of composite materials

S. R. White* and Y. K. Kim

Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, University of Illinois at
Urbana - Champaign, Urbana, IL 6 180 7, USA

In this paper the composites processing technique of stage curing is developed. Stage curing is especially
suited for the fabrication of thick composites in which thermal spiking and non-uniform consolidation are
problematic. It is also useful for assessing the effects of lengthy lay-up times on mechanical integrity for
large, complex compoiite structures. The effects of stage curing on the mode I interlaminar fracture
toughness and interlaminar shear strength were investigated by double cantilever beam and interlaminar
shear strength testing. From the results of these tests, no degradation was found for the staged cure cycles
investigated. Additionally, the feasibility of reducing void content by stage curing was demonstrated. The
interruption of the cure cycle with an intermediate cooldown under pressure before gelation results in
shrinkage and collapse of voids. Subsequent gelation of the resin can give materials with reduced void
content compared with conventional curing.

(Keywords:thick composite laminates; staged curing; void content)

INTRODUCTION Considerable attention has been directed towards

When composite structures are fabricated in production
facilities the lay-up procedure for large complex parts
can be quite long, from several days to several weeks.
The uncured prepreg remains at room temperature until
the entire lay-up is complete. Cure advancement of the
prepreg can be quite significant in this case. Figure I
shows the advancement of the degree of cure for a typical
graphite/epoxy material (AS4/3501-6) at room tempera-
ture (25°C). After 90 days the degree of cure has reached
0.27. While this is significantly below the gel point, this
degree of advancement could have significant impact on
the mechanical integrity of a laminated structure. Stage
curing is a processing technique which formalizes this
procedure for the production of thick composite
structures.
There are several problems inherent in the manu-
facture of thick composites. The low transverse thermal
diffusivity of polymeric composites leads to lengthy cure
cycles, thermal lag and thermal spiking. The resulting
non-uniformity of temperature and cure across the
thickness of the part leads to non-uniformity of residual
stresses, fibre volume fraction and mechanical proper-
ties. In some cases the interior temperatures during
thermal spiking may exceed the thermal degradation
temperature, ultimately leading to charring of the matrix
and perhaps combustion”2.
*To whom correspondence should be addressed
finding the best processing variables to make high
quality, thick composite parts’>3m9. However, the
inherent characteristics of thermosetting polymer
matrix composites, such as low transverse thermal
conductivity, anisotropic properties and exothermic
cure reaction, place limitations on what can be done in
a standard autoclave processing environment. As the
specimen thickness increases, processing problems are
exaggerated and, eventually, no feasible autoclave cure
schedule can be designed to avoid them. Thus, there has
been an ongoing need to develop new manufacturing
techniques for thick composites and several have been
reported in the literature’0-‘4. However, these techniques
require new types of equipment and product develop-
ment. Stage curing, on the other hand, is a technology
that can be used with the current generation of materials
and equipment.
In Figure 2 a schematic of the stage curing technique is
shown. In the first step a relatively thin stack of material
is built up (either by hand lay-up or using automated
methods). This stack is then subjected to a partial curk
cycle (stage 1). During this cure cycle the material is
gelled, consolidated, and some of the exothermic energy
is released. Subsequently, another incremental stack of
material is placed on top of the first and the entire
structure is again subjected to a stage I cure cycle. This
procedure is repeated until the desired thickness is
reached. After the entire structure has been built up
and subjected to stage 1 curing, the final cure occurs in

COMPOSITES PART A Volume 27A Number 3 ,I 996 219

Staged curing of composite materials: S. R. White and Y. K. Kim

consolidation and thermal spiking. First, since the

consolidation stage is carried out during stage 1 when
the material thickness (incremental) is small, the
consolidation is no more difficult than with any thin
laminated composite. Second, since a portion of the
exothermic energy is released during stage 1, there is
less energy available for thermal spiking during stage 2.
In addition, the amount of uncured material added at
each increment during stage 1 curing is small and there
is little chance of thermal spiking until stage 2.
This paper presents the results of an initial study on
the development of the stage curing technique for AS4/
3501-6 graphite/epoxy composite material. Double
cantilever beam and interlaminar shear tests were carried
0 15 30 45 60 75 90
out to characterize the inter-stage bond strength.
Time (days) Photomicrographs and image analysis techniques were
Figure 1 Degree of cure advancement for AS4/3501-6 prepreg at room used to assess specimen quality. Finally, a void growth
temperature (25°C)
model is presented to explain how reduced void contents
can be obtained through stage curing.

EXPERIMENTAL METHODS
Materials

AS4/3501-6 graphite/epoxy prepreg was used to

manufacture stage-cured and standard autoclave-cured
mechanical test specimens. This material is a commercial
system manufactured by Hercules, Inc. The nominal
fibre volume fraction of the prepreg used in this study
time was 65%.

STAGE 1 Processing

The manufacturer’s recommended cure (MRC) cycle

for AS4/3501-6 and the two staged cure cycles employed
t
in this study are shown in Figures 3-5. The MRC cycle
calls for a 1 h consolidation stage at 116°C and 586 kPa.

EIIh
During this step a vacuum is required (686 mm Hg). The
consolidation stage is followed by a curing stage at 177°C
and 689 kPa without vacuum. These conditions are held
for 2 h. Afterwards, the material is cooled down to room

STAGE 2
CYCLE 200 1000

time

STAGE 2
Pii 2 Schematic of stage curing process. Consolidation of
incremental layers of thickness h, is accomplished during stage 1
curing. Once the desired thickness is achieved, final cure occurs during
stage 2

I..--....- - - -Pressure @Pa)

..-- Vacuum (mm Hg)
stage 2. During final curing the remaining exothermic
energy is released and complete cure is reached through-
0 ;-1000
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
out the entire part.
Time (min)
Stage curing addresses two of the major problems
in manufacturing of thick composites: non-uniform Figure 3 MRC cycle for AS4/3501-6 graphite/epoxy

220 COMPOSITES PART A Volume 27A Number 3 1996

 Staged curing of composite materials: S. R. White and Y. K. Kim

i
Stage #l Stage #l
200
-Temperature (“C) -Temperature (“C)
- - -Pressure (kPa)
- - -Pressure (kPa) E
G 150
e r - - - - - - -7 ------- Vacuum (mm Hg) 500 g
6 l5O~r--------! ------Vacuum(mm’Hg) $500 I 4
L I

-h
e
i
Q 100 i -- $0
E
j
i?
i
F 50 L 500
. . . . ..-..............1
O-J”
i p,‘,L,, /A”‘/L-
0 50 100 150 200
Ok--------+----t- -4. -1000 Time (min)
0 50 100 150 200 250
Time (min)
(a>
(a)
Stage #2
Stage #2 200 I
200 _r - 1000

+ 500

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

0 4--t---+-‘d- -lOO( Time (min)
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Time (min) (b)
@I Figure 5 Staged cure cycle-type B: (a) stage 1 and (b) stage 2

Figure 4 Staged cure cycle--type A: (a) stage I and (b) stage 2

L/breather plies
temperature. All heating and cooling rates are specified
to be in the range 2.78 to 5.56”C min-‘. I-- caul plate

The two staged cure cycles are designated as type

A and B. In the type A cycle prepreg laminates are laid-
up at room temperature and vacuum bagged. These
laminates are then subjected to the consolidation step I--- release film
(stage 1) as shown in Figure 4. After the 1 h dwell at
116°C the laminates are cooled down to room tempera- Figure 6 Stacking sequence used during processing of specimens
ture and de-bagged. Subsequently, the laminates are
stacked together and put through the final stage of the
cure cycle (stage 2) to finish curing. Pressure and vacuum from two incremental (12-ply) laminates, yielding a total
conditions correspond to the MRC cycle specifications. thickness after final cure of 24 plies. The stacking
For the type B cycle (Figure .5), once the entire laminate sequence used during processing is shown in Figure 6.
has been assembled after the consolidation stage, the
laminate is subjected to a full MRC cycle. Thus, the only
Specimen preparation
difference between type A and type B cycles is the
additional consolidation stage experienced by the type B The lay-up procedure was performed at room
specimens. temperature (20-25”(Z) with a relative humidity of
Three groups of double cantilever beam (DCB) test 63 f 5%. Three plates measuring 200 mm x 150 mm
specimens and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) speci- were processed according to the cure cycles in Figures
mens were manufactured according to the three curing 3-5. These plates were then cut to obtain four DCB
cycles under investigation. Each incremental laminate specimens and six ILSS specimens with the dimensions
was 12 plies thick, sufficiently thin to allow uniform shown in Figure 7.
consolidation under the given pressure and vacuum DCB specimens were made using a Teflon starter
conditions. All DCB and ILSS specimens were made crack. For the MRC specimens a thin (0.01 mm) Teflon

COMPOSITES PART A Volume 27A Number 3 1996 221

Staged curing of composite materials: S. R. White and Y. K. Kim

DCB Specimen (UNITS: mm) until the crack opening displacement had increased by
0.5 mm. The load and crack length were recorded and the
hinge loading tab specimen was unloaded. The crack length was measured
teflon starter crack using an optical microscope attached to the loading
frame. This cycle of loading and unloading was repeated
until the crack had advanced 40mm into the specimen,
which resulted in 16-20 data points per specimen.
For each set of data the critical mode I strain energy
release rate was calculated using beam theory as16
fiber direction n P6
GIG = 2ba (1)

where P is the load, S is the displacement, a is the crack

152.4 length and b is the specimen width. The parameter n in
equation (1) is an empirical correction factor obtained by
(a) least-squares curve fit of the slope of the plot of log(P/S)
versus log(a).
Interlaminar shear testing was accomplished follow-
ing the procedure in ASTM D3846-79. Failure loads and
ILSS Specimen (UNITS: mm) specimen dimensions were recorded for each test. The
interlaminar shear strength (ZLSS) is then obtained from

where P is the failure load, b is the specimen width and d

is the distance between the notches (Figure 7).

Zmage analysis

Once the DCB and ILSS specimens had been tested,

samples were obtained from each specimen and polished
for viewing in an optical (Zeiss D-7082) microscope. An
(b) image analyser (Kontron SEM-IPS Image Procedure
Figure 7 Specimen geometry and dimensioas: (a) DCB and (b) ILSS
System) was used to capture a digital cross-section for
void and fibre volume content calculations. Each
measurement was taken from a 0.1 mm x 0.09mm area
strip was inserted at the midplane during lay-up. For the
magnified 200x. A total of 42 measurements (seven
stage-cured specimens the Teflon strip was inserted after
across the thickness at six cross-sectional locations) was
the initial consolidation stage when the 12-ply incremental
averaged for each specimen.
laminates were combined for final curing. The starter crack
extended 63.5 mm into the specimen in all cases. After final
cure the panels were machined to the DCB geometry in
EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
Figure 7. A hinged end tab was bonded to introduce a line
load at the end of the beam and an opaque fluid was Mechanical test results
painted on the edges to aid in crack tip visualization. Six
The results of DCB and ILSS testing for three types of
ILSS specimens were cut from each plate to the dimensions
specimens are shown in Table 1 as well as Figures 8 and 9.
shown in Figure 7 as specified by ASTM D3846-7915. NO
The DCB results show no appreciable difference among
Teflon insert was used for these specimens.
the three groups of specimens. The MRC-cured speci-
mens had the highest Gtc (188.6 Jme2) while Gic values
Test procedure and data reduction for the stage-cured specimens were slightly lower (185.6
and 174.8 Jmp2). The averages were all within one
All mechanical testing was performed on an Instron
standard deviation of each other. The slight decrease in
model 8500R uniaxial test frame under computer
control. Relevant data were captured by computer
Table 1 Results of DCB and ILSS testing
acquisition and data reduction was performed after test
completion. Cure cycle
DCB tests were conducted using displacement control Property MRC Staged cure A Staged cure B
with a crosshead rate of O.O2mms-‘. Specimens were
gripped by the hinged end tabs and loading was begun. GIG (Jm-? 188.6 (128.3) 174.8 (f17.5) 185.6 (118.6)
ZLSS (kPa) 46.1 (f7.94) 55.9 (*6.71) 55.4 (f5.54)
Once crack propagation was initiated, loading continued

222 COMPOSITES PART A Volume 27A Number 3 1996

 Staged curing of composite materials: S. R. White and Y. K. Kim

Table 2 Results of image analysis

Cure cycle

200 Property MRC Staged cure A Staged cure B

i88.6
174.8 i 185.6 Fibre area (%) 67.1 (12.7) 71.1 (f5.7) 68.7 (12.1)
Void area (%) 3.64 (f0.91) 0.77 (f0.35) 0.76 (f0.42)

80 L
T

50 t 75
T fL
71.1
O-T ” 68.7
MRC A B t
!
Specimen Type
5
Figure 8 Results of DCB testing
*g 60
i

50 ! I I
60 -T I
i ..'. ..
55.4 MRC A B
55.9 t Specimen Type
45 i 46.7
Figure 10 % Fibre area from image analysis of specimens

30
5 /

15
tL
I
1
Oc-- / I

MRC A B
Specimen Type

Figure 9 Results of ILSS testing

1i
average Gtc could be attributed to a decrease in fibre + 0.77 1 0.76
bridging for the stage-cured specimens.
The interlaminar shear test results indicate that higher 00
strengths are obtained by stage curing. Both of the stage- MRC A B
cured specimens showed an increase in ZLSS of about Specimen Type
20% from the MRC specimens. This increase was
Figure 11 % Void area from image analysis of specimens
attributed after image analysis to a reduction in void
content for the stage-cured specimens.
The primary conclusion from both series of mechan-
ical tests is that there is no reduction in interlaminar on mechanical behaviour, samples were polished, opti-
(inter-stage) bonding for the staged cure cycles used in cally magnified, and digitally recorded on an image
this study. In fact, these results indicate that stage curing analyser. Void area and fibre area percentages were
may enhance overall mechanical performance. In the calculated at several locations across the cross-section.
next section, image analysis of the specimens reveals why The averages and standard deviations are presented in
this increase in mechanical performance occurs. Table 2.
The void area and fibre area percentages for all
specimens are shown in Figures 10 and 11. The variation
Image analysis
in fibre content was not especially significant, although
To investigate the quality of the as-manufactured the highest values were obtained for the stage-cured
specimens and to understand the impact of stage curing specimens.

COMPOSITES PART A Volume 27A Number 3 1996 223

Staged curing of composite materials: S. R. White and Y. K. Kim
Figure 12 Typical micrograph of an MRC specimen (200x)
Figure 13 Typical micrograph of a staged cure type A specimen
(200x)
It is noteworthy that void content distributions
showed that there is no preference for concentration at
the midplane where inter-stage bonding occurs. One of
the most interesting results is the dramatic reduction in
overall void content for the stage-cured specimens. After
the experiments were completed, a search of the
literature showed that similar experimental evidence of
this nature was reported by Dave et al.17 in which the
cure cycle was interrupted.
The reduction in void content for stage-cured speci-
mens is also evident in the ILSS results. It is well known
that void content can significantly affect ILSS test
results’*. The reduction in void content from 3.64% to
< 1% can easily account for the 20% increase in ILSS
for the stage-cured specimens. Figures 12 and 13 are
typical micrographs of MRC and staged cure A speci-
mens. The difference in void content is attributed to
interruption of the cure cycle between stages 1 and 2. In
the next section a more thorough account of void growth
in stage curing is presented.
Void growth and collapse
Void formation in epoxy laminates can be accounted
for either by air entrapment during prepregging or lay-up
procedures, or by nucleation of void bubbles by chemical
224 COMPOSITES PART A Volume 27A Number 3 1996
reaction of the epoxy system or vapour instabilities. It is
believed that voids are composed of air and gases
released by chemical reaction, most of which is water.
Most research in this area has attempted to explain void
growth during curing by modelling the diffusion of water
vapour into small (entrapped) air pockets”-**.
Once the void has been formed, its growth is
determined by thermodynamic considerations. Pressure
is generated within the void and its magnitude is
dependent on the species composition. The void pressure
increases as the temperature increases according to a
thermodynamic equation of state. This pressure is the
driving force for void growth and it is opposed by the
resin hydrostatic pressure and surface tension. This state
of equilibrium continues until the resin viscosity becomes
prohibitively high after the epoxy network forms.
For the MRC cycle of AS4/3501-6, the final void size
is fixed during heat-up to 177°C when rapid gelation of
the resin occurs. In contrast, for the staged cure cycles
the temperature decreases after the consolidation stage,
leading to a decrease in the partial pressure of gases
within the void and an associated reduction of void size.
If the resin viscosity is sufficiently low, this process could
lead to complete void collapse.
The micrographs in Figures 12 and 13 were taken at the
same planar locations, 25 mm from the untracked tip of
the DCB specimens. Since the fibre area percentages were
relatively constant and since void transport is operative
relatively early in the cure cycle, we believe that increased
void transport cannot account for the reduction in void
content for stage curing. This suggests that the voids
present in the MRC specimens were completely collapsed
during intermediate cooldown in the staged cure cycles.
Assuming that voids are collapsed after stage 1, they
may subsequently grow again during heat-up to the cure
temperature in stage 2. However, there are two factors
which could prevent growth. The first is a higher
viscosity during heat-up in stage 2 compared with the
MRC cycle. The second is increased autoclave pressure
during this heat-up process. In any case there is little time
for void growth to occur because resin gelation occurs
rapidly during this stage of the cure cycle.
To verify the effect of increased viscosity, the
rheological properties of 3501-6 resin were measured
during cure. A Polymer Laboratories TSR thermal
scanning rheometer was used with an oscillating probe
driven at 2 Hz. In this experiment a neat resin specimen
was cured using the staged cure type A cycle. Due to
limitations of the sensitivity of the TSR. quantitative
values for viscosity at high temperature were not
obtained. However, measurements before and after the
cure cycle interruption indicate significant viscosity
advancement. The viscosity at 65°C during cooldown
at the end of stage 1 was found to be 195Pa s. The
viscosity at the same temperature during heat-up in stage
2 is 468 Pas. Thus, void growth during heat-up in stage 2
occurs under conditions of elevated viscosity for the
staged cure specimens.
To test the proposition of void collapse during
 Staged curing of composite materials: S. R. White and Y. K. Kim

cooldown, several specimens were processed under is time. The initial boundary conditions are
reduced pressure. For these specimens the staged cure ~(0, r) = Cm
cycle A was followed, but the autoclave pressure was
released just before cooldown in stage 1, and then c(t, co) = cm (4)
reapplied after the temperature reached 116°C during the
c(t> R(Q) = Csa,
heat-up stage 2. These specimens were sectioned,
polished, and examined under the optical microscope. where C, is the water concentration in the bulk resin
The average void content was measured to be 2.56%, and C,,, is the water concentration at the bubble surface.
which is significantly higher than that of either of The equation of conservation of diffusing species at the
the staged cure specimens and slightly less than that of bubble surface requires
the MRC specimens. These results indicate that the
reduced resin pressure allowed void growth to occur even dR- fiDE(t,
ht- pg dt
R(t))
though the resin viscosity is elevated during stage 2.
However, the overall growth is somewhat suppressed with pr and pp as the resin and gas densities. Using
in comparison with MRC specimens. This reduction Striven’s asymptotic solution, the void growth model
in void content we can attribute to viscosity advance- can be expressed as
ment.
d(R2)
It is important to maintain autoclave pressure during - = 4Dp2
dt
cooldown from stage 1 and it is equally important to
apply a stage 2 autoclave pressure equal to or exceeding where ,f3is the growth driving force defined as
that used during stage 1. Finally, it is also desirable to Ccc - Csat
introduce gelation as quickly as possible in stage 2 so that P=
ps
voids do not have sufficient time to grow.
Equation (6) can be solved by time integration once the
model input parameters are known throughout the cure
cycle. It is important to note that when the water con-
ANALYSIS OF VOID GROWTH DURING centration in the resin is less than at the bubble interface,
STAGE CURING bubble dissolution can take place. In this case ,B is
negative and the growth rate should also be negative.
Several different models exist which attempt to describe The initial bubble radius is found from force balance at
the growth and/or dissolution of voids’7>‘“28. Physi- the bubble wall such that
cally, voids are approximated as spherical bubbles in
40
an infinite liquid medium. Diffusion of water vapour R. = ___ (8)
occurs across the bubble interface. The original work P, - Pg
of Epstein and Plesset22 considers only diffusion where c is the surface tension, P, is the resin pressure
processes. Striven’s analysis23 includes the effects of and P, is the gas pressure. Using Kardos’ data for
convective transport caused by bubble expansion and Narmco 5208 epoxy resin, the initial bubble radius at
the moving boundary condition at the gas-liquid room temperature was found to be approximately
interface. Ramesh et ~71.~~present an interesting 2 pm. The initial bubble radius for 3501-6 epoxy should
analysis including the non-Newtonian effects of the be fairly similar and the effects of the initial bubble
polymer. radius are small in any case. All input parameters
In this case we have based our analysis on the work (Table 3) were obtained from ref. 19 and are assumed to
of Kardos et ~1.‘~ with two minor modifications. First, by typical for 3501-6 epoxy. In addition, we assume
the gas pressure inside the bubble is obtained through that the resin pressure is 0.1 atm during the vacuum
the bubble stability equation so that the effects of cycle and 1 atm afterwards. Thus, the results can be
surface tension at the bubble surface are taken into viewed as a worst case analysis or to be representative
account. Secondly, the initial bubble radius is obtained for voids near the upper surface of the laminate where
by a force balance at the bubble wall. The details of the
model will not be repeated here, but the main points
will be discussed. Further information can be found in Table 3 Material properties used in for process modelling
ref. 19.
Density, p (kg mw3) 1578
The governing transport equation for the diffusion Specific heat, C, (J kg-’ K-‘) 862.0
process can be expressed as Thermal conductivity, k (Wm-’ K-‘) 413.5 x 10-3
Heat of reaction (resin), AH, (kJ kg-‘) 198.9
Kinetic constants
& dRR2dc D d 2dc A, (min-‘) 2.102 x 109
at+dtai=;Tar (2)
( r ar >
A2 (min-‘) -2.014 x lo9
A3 (min-‘) 1.960 x IO9
AE, (J mol-‘) 8.07 x IO4
where c is the water concentration, R is the bubble AE, (Jmol-‘) 7.78 x lo4
radius, D is the diffusivity, r is the radial coordinate and t A& (J mol-‘) 5.66 x IO4

COMPOSITES PART A Volume 27A Number 3 1996 225

Staged curing of composite materials: S. R. White and Y. K. Kim
-+a-- Stage Cure A
Q MRC
+ Stage Cure A (P, = 0.1 atm)
-E- Stage Cure A(P, = 0.118 atm)
+ MRC( P, = 0.1 atm)
I (P, = 0.1 atm)
0 50 100 150 200 250
Time (min)
Figure 14 Void bubble radius during cure cycle
the resin pressure is essentially equal to the vacuum bag
pressure.
Using the processing histories for the MRC and stage
cure A cycles, the void growth model was solved to
obtain the bubble radius histories shown in Figure 14.
Bubble growth was assumed to be complete once
gelation of the resin had occurred. Samples of 3501-6
resin were tested in a Polymer Laboratories TSR thermal
scanning rheometer to obtain gelation data. Gelation
was assumed to occur when the storage modulus was
equal to the loss modulus. The results of these tests
indicated that the resin had gelled approximately 25 min
into the second dwell for both the MRC cycle and the
staged cure A cycle.
For the MRC cycle the bubble radius increases during
the first 100 min up to - 1.7 cm. At this point, the
vacuum is released and further growth is minimal. The
final bubble radius is 1.74 cm. For the staged cure A cycle
the bubble grows at the same rate through the first
lOOmin. Thereafter, bubble dissolution occurs as the
temperature is reduced from the first dwell. Sub-
sequently, the bubble begins to grow again during the
heat-up to the second dwell, but at a reduced rate since
the vacuum is no longer applied. The final bubble radius
is only 0.24cm. The change in void area, assuming
spherical bubble geometry, can be found from the ratio
of the squared radii. Table 4 shows a comparison of the
model and experimental results for the change in void
area content.
Three other cases were considered. First, the resin
pressure was assumed to be 0.1 atm throughout the
MRC cycle. Now, for the MRC cycle the bubble
continues to grow up to gelation and reaches 3.13 cm.
For the staged cure A cycle, after bubble dissolution, the
bubble grows at a much faster rate compared with the
226 COMPOSITES PART A Volume 27A Number 3 1996
Table 4 Comparison of percentage change in void area for various
processing conditions
% Change in void area
Model Experiments
MRC versus staged cure A 98 79
MRC versus staged cure A 26 _
Staged cure A 28 _
(P, = 0.1 atm versus 0.1177 atm)
previous case and reaches a final bubble radius of
2.69 cm. When the resin pressure is increased by 15%
from 0.1 to 0.1177 atm the final radius is reduced to
2.28 cm. This case mimics the slight increase in autoclave
pressure from 586 to 689 kPa in the MRC cycle during
the heat-up to the second dwell.
CONCLUSIONS
The effects of stage curing on the mode I interlaminar
fracture toughness and interlaminar shear strength were
investigated by DCB and ILSS testing. These tests were
used to assess the quality and mechanical strength of the
inter-stage bondline. This method of manufacturing
could be used to produce very thick section composites
with a uniform fibre volume distribution. From the
results of these tests, no degradation in Gic or ZLSS was
found for the staged cure cycles investigated. In fact,
significant enhancement in ILSS was found for the stage-
cured specimens and this was attributed to a reduction in
void content for these specimens.
Additionally, the feasibility of reducing void content
by process cycle modification was demonstrated. The
interruption of the cure cycle with an intermediate
cooldown under pressure before gelation results in
shrinkage and collapse of voids. Subsequent gelation of
the resin can give materials with reduced void contents
compared’ with conventional curing. Experimental evi-
dence shows a 79% reduction in void content for an
AS4/3510-6 graphite/epoxy composite.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This work was supported by the Office of Naval
Research through a Young Investigator’s Award to
Scott White. The contract monitors Roshdy Barsoum
and Yapa Rajapakse are gratefully acknowledged.
REFERENCES
1 Ciriscioli, P.R., Wang, Q. and Springer, G.S. J. Compos. Mater.
1992,26, 90
2 Bogetti, T.A. and Gillespie, J.W. Jr. J. Compos Mater. 1991,25,
239
3 White, S.R. in ‘Proc. ICCM-9’, University of Zaragoza, Spain
and Woodhead Publishing Co., Cambridge, 1993, Vol. 3,
pp. 622-629
4 Glinecki, G.V., Swindlehurst, C.E. and Hoskins, R. SME
 Staged curing of composite materials: S. R. White and Y. K. Kim

Technical Paper, EM84-112, Society of Manufacturing Engin- Standards’, American Society for Testing and Materials, Phila-
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