• Composites Research
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.269-276
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• 2021

PCM (Prepreg Compression Molding) process is a high-speed molding technology that can manufacture high-quality CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic) parts. Compared to the autoclave process, it generates less waste and can significantly reduce cycle time, so various studies are being conducted in the aerospace and automobile industries. In this study, in order to improve the quality of the PCM process, a molding method was developed to increase the compression pressure of the press step by step according to the curing behavior of the prepreg. It was confirmed that this multi-stage compression molding technology is a good means to produce high-quality CFRP products and shorten cycle times. And, the laminated prepreg at room temperature was immediately put into the mold and preheated and molded at the same time, so that it could be molded without a separate preheating process. In addition, as a result of applying the same process conditions optimized for flat plate molding to three-dimensional shapes, a product similar to a flat plate in appearance could be made without the process of establishing process conditions.

• Composites Research
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.421-428
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• 2018

In order to optimize the prepreg compression molding (PCM) process, the forming simulation is required to cope with any problems that may be raised during the process. For the improvement of simulation accuracy, the input data of material property should be measured accurately. However, most studies assume that the compressive properties of the prepreg are identical to the tensile properties without quantifying them separately. Therefore, in this study, the in - plane compressive properties of the prepreg are presented to improve the accuracy of the forming simulation. As a result, the compressive modulus of the fibers was measured to be about $10^{-2}$ times lower than the tensile modulus. Also we designed a square-cup mold with a tilting angle of $110^{\circ}$ to simulate the prepreg formability during the high temperature compression mold process. Shear angles were measured at each corner, which were compared with the simulation results. It was observed that the simulation results using the accurate compressive properties of the prepreg showed a similar trend with the experimental results. It was confirmed that the measured data of the in-plane compression property improved the accuracy of the forming simulation results.

• Composites Research
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.403-407
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• 2019

Long-fiber-reinforced composites have the advantages of cost-competitiveness and high degree of freedom of molding compared to continuous-fiber-reinforced composites. On the other hand, it is difficult to ensure uniform characteristics due to the randomly distributed fiber orientation incurred from the process of manufacturing intermediate materials. In this study, the effect of the directionality of LFPS (Long Fiber Prepreg Sheet) materials on the mechanical properties was analyzed. The eddy current measurement method was used to analyze fiber orientations, and tensile and compression tests on LFPS materials were performed according to ASTM standards. In addition, the test results and theoretical values of LFPS materials were verified using the ROM (rule-of-mixtures) theory. These results confirmed the effect of fiber orientation on mechanical properties of discontinuous-fiber-reinforced composites.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.806-811
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• 2013

In this study, to prevent the nonhomogeneity of fiber orientation during the molding of GFRP composites, GFRP prepreg was fabricated using roving fiber and polypropylene resin. Analyses on the degree of impregnation, tensile strength, and microstructure were conducted on the fabricated prepregs. A lower pulling speed, higher resin temperature, and longer die length showed a greater degree of impregnation of the prepreg. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrograph showed, a homogeneous fiber orientation. As a result, fundamental techniques for improved productivity were suggested for the manufacturing field.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.180-183
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• 2009

Composite bipolar plates offer several advantages of low cost, light weight, and ease of manufacturing compared to traditional graphite plate. However, it is difficult to achieve both high electrical conductivity and high flexural strength. In this study, the hybrid carbons filled epoxy composite bipolar plates were fabricated to test electrical conductivity and flexural properties. Graphite powders were used as the main conducting filler and continuous carbon fiber fabrics were inserted to improve the mechanical properties of the composite. This hybrid composite showed improved in-plane electrical conductivity and flexural property. The moldability of the hybrid composite was also improved comparing to the continuous prepreg composite. This study suggested that the continuous carbon fiber inserted graphite/epoxy composites can be a potential candidate material to overcome the disadvantages of conventional graphite composite or continuous prepreg composite bipolar plates.

• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.6-11
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• 2016

Designed patterns of slit are introduced to the uni-directional (UD) prepreg in order to enhance the formability of the carbon/epoxy composites without wrinkling and laddering. Three different types of the slit alignment along the thickness direction are applied to analyse the deformation behavior during the compression moulding process of laminates. Degrees of the slit open and the mechanical strength are evaluated based on the level of the compaction pressure in the course of forming process. Results have shown that the mechanical strength of laminates having slits could attain at least 80% of the conventional ones without slits. However, further studies are required to identify the direct relevance of the slit alignment in laminate to the mechanical properties.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.88-94
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• 2006

In order to substitute current aluminum sabot and to increase the penetration performance of the kinetic energy projectiles, the research and development program for composites sabot has been conducted. For carbon/epoxy composites sabot, unidirectional carbon fiber reinforced epoxy prepreg was chosen and thick sectioned composites preforms with the different fiber angles along the circumferential direction of sabot were prepared by compression molding under the careful processing conditions at $150^{\circ}C$ for 1hour with $70kgf/cm^2$ curing pressure. The composites sabot demonstrated a weight reduction by approximately 30% than that of current aluminum sabot. The muzzle velocity of a kinetic energy projectile with composites sabot was measured to be about 63m/s higher than that with aluminum sabot. These results imply that the penetration performance is expected to be considerably increased when the composite sabot is applied to the kinetic energy projectiles.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.139-143
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• 2017

Finite element analysis was performed for a split-type CFRP bicycle frame, which was designed to apply a compression molding process with carbon fiber prepreg for a conventional bicycle. An epoxy adhesive material for joining the frames was selected by the extent of stress at joint interfaces. The split-type bicycle frame was then formed and its weak parts examined by the boundary conditions according to reliability tests. The results verified the reliability of the bicycle frame after modification of these weak parts. The finished product was manufactured by using this developed split-type bicycle frame.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.101-106
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• 2020

In this study, epoxy-modified acrylate was synthesized. The synthesized acrylate was added to the composition for sheet molding compound (SMC) in the range of 5 phr to 15 phr. The prepared SMC prepreg was molded at high temperature and pressure to produce a glass fiber reinforced composite. Physical properties such as tensile and impact strength of the composite were measured, respectively. Experimental data show that the composite with 5 phr of synthesized acrylate has 20% improved tensile strength and 12% improved impact strength than that of the reference sample.

• Composites Research
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.106-114
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• 2022

Carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, well known high specific strength and high specific stiffness, have been widely used in the aircraft industry. Mostly the CFRP structure is fabricated by lamination of carbon fiber or carbon prepreg, which has major disadvantage called delamination. Delamination is usually produced due to absence of the through-thickness direction fiber. In this study, three-dimensional carbon preform woven in three directions is used for fabrication of aircraft wing unit structure, a part of repeated structure in aircraft wing. The unit structure include skin, stringer and rib were prepared by resin transfer molding method. After, the 3D structure was compared with laminate structure through compression test. The results show that 3D structure is not only effective to prevent delamination but improved the mechanical strength. Therefore, the 3d preform structure is expected to be used in various fields requiring delamination prevention, especially in the aircraft industry.