Effect of double vacuum bagging (DVB) in quickstep processing on the properties of 977‐2A carbon/epoxy composites

An aerospace grade prepreg 977‐2A carbon/epoxy composite was processed using traditional oven/autoclave and relatively new technique, Quickstep (QS). The manufacturer's recommended autoclave cure cycle was employed for oven/autoclave processing while due to greater flexibility to control the cure cycle temperature in order to manipulate the resin viscosity, several cure cycles were employed for Quickstep processing. Optimization methodology and effect of these cure schedules and their comparison with traditional oven/autoclave curing is presented in previously published article. However, in order to reduce the total cycle time of QS_AD (QS‐60) cure schedule, an attempt was made to facilitate the excess resin to squeeze out during QS‐35 and QS‐45 cure. This attempt was based on the incorporation of double vacuum bagging (DVB) technique into Quickstep processing. Statistical analysis was performed to investigate any effect of DVB in Quickstep processing and it was observed that incorporation of DVB in Quickstep processing is not found to be significantly effective, however, it is believed that small resin rich patches of QS‐45 cured panels can be removed with controlled application of external pressure using DVB. POLYM. COMPOS., 34:942–952, 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers