Development of Vacuum-Press Curing Equipment for the Substitution of Autoclave

오토클레이브 성형공정을 대체할 수 있는 진공가압식 성형장치 개발

This paper addresses the development of VP curing equipment for the substitution of autoclave which has several limits in application. This equipment adopt vacuuming and pressurizing processes similarly to the autoclave, but has flexible pressurizing and movable system. The experiments were pursued to determine and to compare specific properties of the specimens produced by three kinds of processes; autoclave, hotpress, and VP. The results show that the VP curing equipment can produce the useful composite material with a little inferior quality to the autoclave, but better than the hotpress. Considering the movability of VP curing equipment, it can be expanded its application to the areas of composite patch-repaired structure in large objects.