Paper number 564

COST-EFFECTIVE MANUFACTURING OF HOLLOW COMPOSITE STRUCTURES BY BLADDER INFLATION MOULDING

Nicolas Bernet, Pierre-Etienne Bourban and Jan-Anders E. Månson

Laboratoire de Technologie des Composites et Polymères (LTC)
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland

Summary

The bladder inflation moulding process, combined with the use of commingled yarns of thermoplastic and reinforcing fibres, offers the potential for the cost-effective manufacture of complex-shaped hollow composite parts. Manufacturing cost savings partly result from very short fibre impregnation times, which can be predicted by a consolidation model recently developed. The accuracy of the model predictions was demonstrated by comparison with experimental porosity measurements on tubes made from braided commingled yarns of polyamide-12 fibres and carbon fibres. The economic competitiveness of the bladder inflation moulding process was shown using a cost estimation model applied to bicycle handlebars made from PA12/CF commingled yarns.

Keywords

bladder inflation moulding, manufacturing cost, consolidation model, commingled yarns.