SAMPE Fall Technical Conference Tutorials

Monday, October 19, 2009

Century II Convention Center, Wichita, Kansas

 

Register early! Tutorials require a minimum 12 registrations or they will be cancelled prior to the conference.

 

Rates per tutorial: Tutorial rates are in addition to any other conference registration charges.

 

With conference registration:                   $200 Reduced rate: $150

Full time student:                                    $100 Reduced rate: $75

Tutorial only/ with one-day registration:     $250 Reduced rate: $199

 

Tutorials being offered Monday, October 19, 2009. Click any of the tutorials below go directly to the description, or scroll down to browse.

 

9:00 AM

 

2:00 PM

·         Thermoset Resin Matrices – Electronically emailed handout only

 

Tooling for Composites

Robert Stratton, Stratton Composite Solutions

 

This tutorial will cover the various methods and technologies of designing and building tools for the fabrication of composite parts.  In addition to a description of tooling options, some guidelines for making selections will be covered.  The following tooling topics will be covered in the tutorial:

  • Metal tooling(materials and tolerances)
  • Composite tooling construction
  • Prototype/Short Run Tool Selection and Fabrication options
  • Tooling Masters/ Advanced foam materials
  • RTM and Light RTM tooling
  • New Innovations and developments in Tooling for Composites

 

Engineers have to weight many considerations when designing and fabricating a tool for Composite Fabrication, many of these considerations will be addressed: CTE, Spring In, Surface Finish, Temperature Use, Number of Cycles, Cost, Lead Time, and Tolerance.  The attendee should come away from the tutorial with a fundamental understanding of tooling issues, options, and methodology for selecting the best solution for their applications.

 

Return to top of page.

 

Composites Damage Tolerance: Materials & Structures

Instructor: Dr. Keshavanarayana Raju, Wichita State University

 

Surface cracks, cuts, delaminations and low energy impact damage to composites – often are the Achilles Heel of composite structures. Knowing the types of typical damage imposed and the resultant effects would help to understand how best to design and analyze for such problems. This tutorial examines and presents an excellent overview of damage to laminated and sandwich composite structures. At the same time practical observations of damage scenarios and methods for analytically assessing the end result will be provided to the attendee. Some of the topics covered are:

 

·         What to expect in damage to laminated or sandwich composite structures

·         The differences between notches, delaminations and low-velocity impact damage

·         Experimental observations of typical damage

·         Prediction methods for handling and understanding damage types

·         Damage tolerance – what levels might be expected in composite structures

·         Scaling approaches and effects – how they relate to strengths, failure mechanisms, and observations in the real world

·         What analysis methods are available and how accurate are they

 

Return to top of page.

 

Composite Materials Overview

Dr. Linda Clements, C&C Innovation Strategies Inc.

 

This tutorial provides a basic understanding of composites, of their component fibers and resins, and of their advantages and limitations. It will give participants an overview of properties, performance and typical applications. Upon completion of this tutorial the participants will have the basic understanding of composites that will allow them both to profit from attending the SAMPE symposium and exhibition and to apply their understanding to their jobs. The tutorial is appropriate not only for those having little or no experience with high-performance composites, but also for anyone desiring a more complete understanding of composites. Past attendees have included designers, M&P engineers, shop personnel, technicians, students, managers, and sales and business development specialists. Some of the topics covered in this educational tutorial are:

 

·         Basic definitions and types of composites

·         Overview of when composites should – and should not – be used

·         Means for achieving outstanding performance with composites

·         Overview of fiber reinforcements for routine composite applications

·         Overview of fiber reinforcements for exotic applications

·         Overview of resin matrix materials for common environments

·         Overview of resin matrix materials for extreme environments

·         Overview of resin matrix materials used in composites

·         Composite limitations and methods for overcoming them

 

Return to top of page.

 

Design & Analysis of Composite Materials & Structures

Dr. Dan Adams, University of Utah

 

Whether established in composite materials testing or new to this field, this tutorial will provide the attendee with insights into current practices and recommended procedures for mechanical testing of composites. While providing background information on mechanical properties to be measured and traditional test methodologies, this tutorial will highlight recent advances and current practices. Additionally, the different test methods available for composite material characterization will be discussed, and guidance provided on selecting the best suited test method and procedure for a particular application. Some of the topics covered are:

 

·      Review of mechanical properties of composite materials

·      Unique aspects of testing composites (as opposed to metals)

·      The need for standardized test methods and the role of customized test procedures

·      Recommended test methods/procedures for tensile, compressive, shear, flexural, and other critical design properties

·      Testing of textile composites and sandwich composites – which are equally important

·      Recent developments/advances in composite materials testing

·      Sources of information and additional guidance for testing composites

 

Return to top of page.

 

Thermoset Resin Matrices

Dr. James Senger, Cytec Engineered Materials

 

The utilization of fiber reinforced thermosetting resins for composites is an area of significant commercial interest. The scope of the tutorial is however limited to thermoset matrices used in advanced composites (i.e., continuous fiber reinforcement) for demanding applications; predominately for aerospace and high performance automotive. Resin chemistries discussed include:

 

·         Benzoxazines,

·         Bismaleimides,

·         Cyanate esters,

·         Epoxies,

·         Phenolics,

·         Polyimides, and,

·         Energy-curable resins are also described

 

Structure property relationships, cure mechanisms, characterization methods and typical applications are provided for each resin family.

 

Return to top of page.

 

Testing of Composite Materials

Dr. Don Adams, Wyoming Test Fixtures

 

Intended as both an introduction for a novice as well as a strong refresher for the experienced individual, this tutorial covers the essentials associated with designing a test, fabricating representative material samples and conducting the test appropriately. Test methods are important to established industries such as aerospace – but more recently are becoming more important for qualifying materials and structures within the wind energy, oil and gas, solar energy, alternate fuels, repair and maintenance, compressed natural gas (CNG, NGV), and hydrogen fuel areas. Consequently, this tutorial will be directed toward the proper selection of test methods for specific applications, from many methods currently available. This tutorial will focus on:

 

·         Specimen selection and preparation procedures,

·         Industry standards within various market segments,

·         Tensile, compressive, flexure, shear and fracture toughness tests,

·         Testing of unidirectional, laminated materials, sandwich structures, random fiber reinforced materials and fabric composite materials,

·         Special problems associated with bonded interfaces and environmental aspects (high, low temperatures), and,

·         Numerous examples across several industries

 

Return to top of page.

 

Composites Repair Technology & Issues

Louis Dorworth, Abaris Training Resources Inc.

 

This tutorial will be of interest to those involved in repairs to composite structures. Basic requirements for performing reliable structural repairs to composite components and large scale structures will be addressed. This presentation applies to many different industries ranging from aerospace to wind energy to motorsport racing.  In this tutorial the pros and cons of using different materials and methodologies so that engineers can choose the appropriate repair design that best suits the type of structures that they are repairing will be presented and discussed. Applicable tools and equipment are identified with some emphasis on the new equipment specifically designed for wind energy blades and other large scale surface repairs requiring moderate temperature cure cycles. Questions are encouraged during the presentation as it is designed to be an interactive discussion format. Topics included in the presentations will include:

 

·         Defining whether the repair is possible for the damaged structure,

·         Establishing the appropriate materials and process for the repair,

·         Preparation of the repair region,

·         Repairing the damaged region back to structural sufficiency,

·         Assessing, inspecting and assuring repair conformance and integrity, and,

·         Analyses associated with typical repairs (if any)

 

Return to top of page.

 

Composites Fabrication & Manufacturing Overview

Instructor: Dr. James C. Leslie, ACPT Inc.

 

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the advantages offered by composite materials and the techniques by which they can be manufactured into useful structures and hardware components. An explanation of why composite materials are finding increased use in both commercial and aerospace applications is presented to the attendees. Attendees receive an in-depth review of the techniques used for the manufacture of composite structures. Some of the methods covered involve: filament winding, vacuum bagging, hand lay-up, pultrusion, resin transfer molding, compression molding, thermoforming, and various hybrid processes. Some of the topics covered in this tutorial are:

 

·         Extensive coverage of composites and FRP processing methods

·         What processes and applications best fit together

·         Illustrating "how-to" manufacturing logic with composites

·         What composite materials (resins, fibers, forms) work best and when

·         Selection criteria for picking resins and fibers for applications

·         Discussion of auxiliary equipment and materials for processing

·         Open forum for questions concerning today's manufacturing methods

·         Extensive presentation of composite manufacturing processes and applications

 

 

Return to top of page.