Radiofrequency curing of composite materials
Composite materials are used in the aerospace and automotive field. They have lot of potential but there are also some problems that limits their use in fields where high productivity and low cost are needed. Plastic reinforced composite materials need in many cases a process of curing: after shaping the material, pressure and heat are needed for the resin’s crosslinking that permits to reach the wanted mechanical characteristics. The process of curing made with traditional methods is expensive and require lot of time. There are many evidences on the fact that radiofrequency and microwave can be used for the crosslinking of the resin used as base for composite materials but there is also need of other researches and insights.
The thesis proposal work is divided in a part of FEM simulations using Comsol Multiphysics and a part of experimental test on the curing using microwave ovens or radiofrequency. The thesis is open both to material and electrical engineering students and no fem simulation basis are required.
If you are interested in the topics of that research or if you want more information, contact me: annamaria.cavazzini@phd.unipd.it.
