Abstract
Large composite marine structures normally use fibre-reinforcements in a thermoset resin and are often manufactured by resin infusion. These materials have limited options for disposal at end-of-life and are not easily recycled. Thermoplastics are too viscous to infuse even in the molten state. Thermoplastic matrix composites might be manufactured by in situ polymerisation (ISP) during monomer infusion under flexible tooling (MIFT). Two monomers were identified as candidates for ISP-MIFT. Fossil-based acrylic infusion monomers are commercially available, but bio-based monomers are new to the market and there is no infusion grade to date. Lactide is bio-based by default but requires processing at elevated temperatures (hence higher energy consumption with consequent environmental burdens). This paper reveals some of the constraints encountered in the development of ISP-MIFT for lactide.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 0 |
| Journal | https://www.iccm-central.org/Conferences.html |
| Volume | 0 |
| Issue number | 0 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Aug 2023 |
| Event | 23rd International Conference on Composite Materials (ICCM23) - Duration: 31 Jul 2023 → 4 Aug 2023 |
Keywords
- In Situ Polymerisation (ISP)
- Lactide
- Monomer infusion