‭Experiment No.

3‬

‭Creating a product with a hand layup of composites‬

‭1.‬ ‭Objectives‬

‭‬ T
● ‭ o familiarize with the composite materials layup process.‬
‭●‬ ‭To understand the safety aspects of handling composite materials.‬
‭●‬ ‭To make a composite using hand layup technique.‬

‭2.‬ ‭Introduction to composite‬

‭The material that satisfies the following conditions we call a composite material:‬
‭ ‬ I‭ t should be manufactured (Naturally occurring materials are excluded like wood).‬
●
‭●‬ ‭It‬ ‭should‬ ‭have‬ ‭two‬ ‭or‬ ‭more‬ ‭physically‬ ‭or‬ ‭chemically‬ ‭distinct‬ ‭suitably‬ ‭arranged‬ ‭or‬ ‭distributed‬
‭phases with interphase separating them.‬
‭●‬ ‭It must have characteristics that are not depicted by any of the components in isolation.‬

‭2.1.‬ ‭Advantages‬

‭‬ M
● ‭ etals corrode; composite does not.‬
‭●‬ ‭Composites can be designed with direction properties.‬

‭1 – Steel, 2 – Aluminum, and 3 – Composite‬

‭2.2.‬ ‭Applications‬

‭‬
● ‭ erospace, civil, and construction.‬
A
‭●‬ ‭Composite fuel storage tank.‬
‭●‬ ‭Brake rotors.‬
‭●‬ ‭Durable pipelines for water, oil, and chemical supply.‬

‭3.‬ ‭Safety and Precautions‬

‭●‬ A ‭ lways‬‭use‬‭PPE‬‭(Personal‬‭Protective‬‭Equipment)‬‭when‬‭handling‬‭composite‬‭materials‬‭in‬‭a‬‭layup‬
‭operation.‬
‭●‬ ‭Always use cutting gloves when using scissors, Stanley knives, etc.‬
‭●‬ ‭Be‬‭careful‬‭and‬‭thoughtful‬‭of‬‭the‬‭resin/hardener‬‭chemical‬‭reaction,‬‭an‬‭exothermic‬‭reaction,‬‭and‬‭be‬
‭sure to place any mixing container only in a nonflammable area.‬
‭●‬ ‭Only perform layup operations in a well-ventilated area.‬
‭●‬ ‭Take precaution as resins are messy and easy to get on other people’s clothes.‬
‭●‬ ‭Designating‬‭a‬‭specific‬‭area‬‭for‬‭any‬‭mold‬‭prep‬‭as‬‭a‬‭mold‬‭release‬‭agent‬‭is‬‭potential‬‭contamination‬
‭to the composite use or layup area.‬
‭●‬ ‭Always‬ ‭prepare‬ ‭all‬ ‭tools,‬ ‭chemicals,‬ ‭PPE,‬ ‭and‬ ‭cut‬ ‭reinforcement‬ ‭materials‬ ‭prior‬ ‭to‬ ‭mixing‬
‭chemicals.‬ ‭Time‬ ‭and‬ ‭note‬ ‭the‬ ‭actual‬ ‭mixing‬ ‭time‬ ‭(2‬ ‭minutes‬ ‭minimum)‬ ‭and‬ ‭so‬ ‭that‬ ‭you‬ ‭can‬
‭project‬ ‭when‬ ‭gelation‬ ‭will‬ ‭occur‬ ‭(usually‬‭15‬‭to‬‭20‬‭minutes‬‭depending‬‭on‬‭how‬‭hot‬‭the‬‭hardener‬
‭is).‬
‭●‬ ‭Students should not touch the face, skin, etc., while handling resins.‬
‭●‬ ‭Handling‬‭and‬‭cutting‬‭dry‬‭fibers‬‭is‬‭done‬‭using‬‭the‬‭proper‬‭PPE‬‭because‬‭glass‬‭or‬‭carbon‬‭fibers‬‭can‬
‭cause itching or skin irritation.‬

‭4.‬ ‭Materials‬

‭4.1.‬ ‭Mold‬

‭ enerally,‬ ‭a‬ ‭mold‬ ‭must‬ ‭be‬‭used‬‭to‬‭make‬‭parts‬‭using‬‭the‬‭layup‬‭process‬‭to‬‭place‬‭the‬‭layer‬‭in‬‭or‬‭on‬‭to‬

G
‭obtain‬‭the‬‭desired‬‭shape.‬‭In‬‭this‬‭lab,‬‭we‬‭will‬‭use‬‭a‬‭cuboidal-shaped‬‭mold‬‭opened‬‭from‬‭the‬‭top‬‭to‬‭hold‬
‭the‬ ‭shape‬ ‭of‬ ‭the‬ ‭layup‬ ‭as‬ ‭shown‬ ‭in‬ ‭Fig.‬ ‭1.‬ ‭Different‬ ‭materials‬ ‭may‬ ‭also‬ ‭be‬ ‭used‬ ‭as‬ ‭molds‬ ‭(metal,‬
‭composites, wood, plaster, rubber, etc.)‬

‭Figure 1. Mold for hand layup of composite‬

‭4.2.‬ ‭Release agent‬

‭ he‬ ‭release‬ ‭agent‬ ‭prevents‬ ‭resin‬ ‭from‬ ‭sticking‬ ‭to‬ ‭the‬ ‭mold.‬ ‭In‬ ‭this‬ ‭experiment,‬ ‭the‬ ‭mold‬ ‭will‬ ‭be‬
T
‭covered‬ ‭with‬ ‭polyvinyl‬ ‭alcohol‬ ‭to‬ ‭act‬ ‭as‬ ‭the‬ ‭release‬ ‭agent.‬ ‭Some‬ ‭other‬ ‭release‬ ‭agents‬ ‭used‬ ‭in‬ ‭the‬
‭industry are:‬
‭‬
● ‭ lastic sheets‬
P
‭●‬ ‭Waxes‬
‭●‬ ‭spray releases‬
‭●‬ ‭Internal releases (added to gel coat or resin system)‬

‭4.3.‬ ‭Resins‬

‭ he‬ ‭resin‬‭acts‬‭as‬‭the‬‭matrix‬‭of‬‭the‬‭composite‬‭to‬‭‘bind’‬‭the‬‭composite‬‭materials‬‭together‬‭and‬‭transfer‬
T
‭the‬‭component‬‭stresses‬‭that‬‭may‬‭act‬‭on‬‭the‬‭part‬‭to‬‭the‬‭fibers‬‭in‬‭the‬‭composite.‬‭The‬‭fibers‬‭are‬‭designed‬
‭and‬ ‭selected‬ ‭to‬ ‭handle‬ ‭the‬ ‭designed‬ ‭stresses‬ ‭imposed.‬ ‭In‬ ‭this‬ ‭experiment,‬ ‭a‬ ‭two-part‬ ‭ER-099‬ ‭SPL‬
‭epoxy‬‭and‬‭EH-150‬‭hardener‬‭resin‬‭system‬‭will‬‭be‬‭used‬‭as‬‭shown‬‭in‬‭figure‬‭2‬‭.‬‭Some‬‭resins‬‭commonly‬
‭used in industry are:‬
‭‬ U
● ‭ nsaturated polyesters‬
‭●‬ ‭Specialty and High-performance Thermosets (vinyl esters)‬
‭●‬ ‭Epoxies‬

‭Figure 2. ER-099 SPL Epoxy and EH-150 hardener resin used in hand lay up process‬

‭4.4.‬ ‭Reinforcing Fibers‬

‭ here‬ ‭are‬ ‭many‬ ‭different‬ ‭fibers‬ ‭that‬ ‭can‬ ‭be‬ ‭used‬‭to‬‭make‬‭up‬‭a‬‭composite,‬‭and‬‭each‬‭material‬‭can‬‭be‬

T
‭obtained‬ ‭in‬ ‭different‬ ‭formats.‬ ‭Both‬ ‭of‬ ‭these‬ ‭variables‬ ‭are‬ ‭design‬ ‭options‬ ‭available‬ ‭according‬‭to‬‭the‬
‭ esign‬‭constraints‬‭of‬‭the‬‭final‬‭product‬‭and‬‭make‬‭up‬‭a‬‭significant‬‭part‬‭of‬‭the‬‭material‬‭selection‬‭process.‬
d
‭In this experiment, a standard weave fiberglass cloth will be used.‬

‭5.‬ ‭Experimental Procedure‬

‭●‬ I‭ nitially,‬ ‭prepare‬ ‭all‬ ‭the‬ ‭materials‬ ‭and‬ ‭tools‬ ‭that‬ ‭are‬ ‭going‬ ‭to‬ ‭be‬ ‭used‬ ‭when‬ ‭working‬ ‭with‬
‭composites.‬‭This‬‭is‬‭mainly‬‭because‬‭once‬‭the‬‭resin‬‭and‬‭the‬‭hardener‬‭are‬‭mixed,‬‭the‬‭working‬‭time‬
‭(prior‬ ‭to‬ ‭the‬ ‭resin‬‭mix‬‭gelling)‬‭is‬‭limited‬‭by‬‭the‬‭speed‬‭of‬‭the‬‭hardener‬‭chemically‬‭reacting‬‭with‬
‭the‬ ‭epoxy‬ ‭producing‬ ‭an‬ ‭exothermic‬ ‭reaction.‬ ‭Also,‬‭as‬‭part‬‭of‬‭the‬‭initial‬‭preparation,‬‭the‬‭woven‬
‭cloth must be cut according to the shape of the part.‬
‭●‬ ‭Before‬ ‭starting‬ ‭with‬ ‭the‬ ‭layup‬ ‭process,‬ ‭adequate‬ ‭mold‬ ‭preparation‬ ‭must‬ ‭be‬ ‭done.‬ ‭Mainly,‬ ‭this‬
‭preparation‬‭consists‬‭of‬‭cleaning‬‭the‬‭mold‬‭and‬‭applying‬‭a‬‭release‬‭agent‬‭to‬‭the‬‭surface‬‭of‬‭it‬‭to‬‭avoid‬
‭the‬ ‭resin‬ ‭sticking.‬ ‭In‬ ‭this‬ ‭experiment,‬ ‭the‬ ‭mold‬ ‭preparation‬ ‭is‬ ‭simply‬ ‭applying‬ ‭the‬ ‭polyvinyl‬
‭alcohol‬‭on‬‭the‬‭inner‬‭surface‬‭of‬‭the‬‭cuboidal‬‭mold‬‭and‬‭wait‬‭for‬‭a‬‭certain‬‭time‬‭to‬‭set‬‭up‬‭the‬‭release‬
‭agent‬
‭●‬ ‭Mix‬‭the‬‭resin‬‭and‬‭the‬‭hardener‬‭in‬‭the‬‭1:1‬‭ratio‬‭(200‬‭ml‬‭each).‬‭The‬‭amount‬‭of‬‭resin‬‭needed‬‭can‬‭be‬
‭estimated‬‭based‬‭on‬‭the‬‭weight‬‭of‬‭the‬‭glass‬‭fiber‬‭cloth.‬‭One‬‭can‬‭assume‬‭50‬‭volume‬‭%‬‭resin‬‭and‬‭50‬
‭volume % fiber and then use the density of the reinforcement to arrive at the weight of the resin.‬
‭●‬ ‭The‬ ‭mixing‬ ‭is‬ ‭performed‬ ‭in‬ ‭the‬ ‭mixing‬ ‭containers‬ ‭with‬ ‭the‬ ‭mixing‬ ‭stick‬ ‭and‬ ‭should‬ ‭be‬ ‭done‬
‭slowly‬ ‭so‬ ‭as‬ ‭to‬ ‭not‬‭entertain‬‭any‬‭excess‬‭air‬‭bubbles‬‭in‬‭the‬‭resin.‬‭Be‬‭careful‬‭to‬‭mix‬‭entirely‬‭and‬
‭deliberately for a full two minutes before applying.‬
‭●‬ ‭Next,‬ ‭an‬ ‭adequate‬ ‭quantity‬ ‭of‬ ‭mixed‬ ‭resin‬ ‭&‬ ‭hardener‬ ‭is‬ ‭deposited‬ ‭on‬‭the‬‭inner‬‭surface‬‭of‬‭the‬
‭cuboidal‬‭mold,‬‭and‬‭a‬‭brush‬‭or‬‭roller‬‭is‬‭used‬‭to‬‭spread‬‭it‬‭around‬‭all‬‭surfaces.‬‭It‬‭is‬‭important‬‭not‬‭to‬
‭add‬ ‭too‬ ‭much‬ ‭resin,‬ ‭which‬ ‭will‬ ‭cause‬ ‭too‬ ‭thick‬ ‭of‬ ‭a‬ ‭layer,‬ ‭nor‬ ‭to‬ ‭add‬ ‭less‬ ‭than‬ ‭the‬ ‭necessary‬
‭amount, which will cause holes in the surface of the part when it is cured.‬
‭●‬ ‭The‬‭first‬‭layer‬‭of‬‭fiber‬‭reinforcement‬‭is‬‭then‬‭laid.‬‭This‬‭layer‬‭must‬‭be‬‭wetted‬‭with‬‭resin‬‭and‬‭then‬
‭softly‬‭pressed‬‭using‬‭a‬‭brush‬‭or‬‭a‬‭roller‬‭to‬‭make‬‭the‬‭resin‬‭that‬‭was‬‭added‬‭in‬‭the‬‭previous‬‭step‬‭wick‬
‭up‬‭through‬‭the‬‭fiberglass‬‭cloth.‬‭If‬‭the‬‭fiber‬‭is‬‭not‬‭completely‬‭wet,‬‭more‬‭resin‬‭can‬‭be‬‭added‬‭over‬
‭the‬‭top‬‭and‬‭spread‬‭around.‬‭At‬‭this‬‭stage,‬‭the‬‭second‬‭layer‬‭of‬‭glass‬‭fiber‬‭is‬‭added,‬‭and‬‭special‬‭care‬
‭must‬ ‭be‬ ‭taken‬ ‭to‬ ‭eliminate‬ ‭all‬ ‭possible‬ ‭air‬ ‭bubbles.‬‭This‬‭can‬‭be‬‭accomplished‬‭by‬‭either‬‭rolling‬
‭any‬ ‭air‬ ‭bubbles‬ ‭out‬ ‭with‬ ‭a‬ ‭small‬ ‭hand‬ ‭rolling‬ ‭tool‬ ‭or‬ ‭brushing‬ ‭out‬ ‭the‬ ‭air‬ ‭bubbles‬ ‭with‬ ‭a‬
‭paintbrush. This step is repeated until the desired thickness is obtained.‬
‭●‬ ‭The‬ ‭next‬ ‭step‬ ‭is‬ ‭to‬ ‭cure‬ ‭the‬ ‭part‬ ‭at‬ ‭elevated‬ ‭temperatures‬ ‭using‬ ‭an‬ ‭oven‬ ‭(usually‬ ‭somewhere‬
‭around‬‭160‬‭degrees‬‭F)‬‭or‬‭at‬‭room‬‭temperature.‬‭Generally,‬‭the‬‭proper‬‭curing‬‭time‬‭of‬‭each‬‭type‬‭of‬
‭resin-hardener,‬‭as‬‭well‬‭as‬‭the‬‭working‬‭time,‬‭is‬‭given‬‭by‬‭the‬‭supplier‬‭on‬‭the‬‭back‬‭of‬‭the‬‭containers.‬
‭For‬‭the‬‭purposes‬‭of‬‭this‬‭experiment‬‭and‬‭using‬‭an‬‭epoxy‬‭resin‬‭system,‬‭room‬‭temperature‬‭curing‬‭is‬
‭adequate.‬
‭●‬ ‭Once‬‭that‬‭part‬‭is‬‭ready‬‭to‬‭be‬‭cured,‬‭it‬‭must‬‭be‬‭moved‬‭to‬‭an‬‭adequate‬‭location.‬‭In‬‭this‬‭case,‬‭it‬‭can‬
‭be‬‭left‬‭to‬‭cure‬‭in‬‭place‬‭until‬‭the‬‭next‬‭day.‬‭Then‬‭a‬‭cleanup‬‭must‬‭be‬‭done‬‭before‬‭leaving‬‭the‬‭class.‬
‭All‬ ‭the‬ ‭materials‬ ‭used‬ ‭(brushes,‬ ‭rollers,‬ ‭mixing‬ ‭tools,‬ ‭scissors),‬ ‭including‬ ‭the‬ ‭table,‬ ‭must‬ ‭be‬
‭cleaned‬ ‭using‬ ‭acetone‬ ‭and‬ ‭cloth.‬ ‭Also,‬ ‭the‬ ‭rest‬ ‭of‬ ‭the‬ ‭fiberglass‬ ‭woven‬ ‭reinforcement‬‭must‬‭be‬
‭collected from the table and floor.‬
 ‭Figure 3. Tool stand prepared using hand lay up process‬

‭6.‬ ‭Expectation from Student‬

‭1.‬ L‭ ab‬ ‭report:‬ ‭Every‬ ‭student‬ ‭has‬ ‭to‬ ‭pick‬ ‭up‬ ‭an‬ ‭industry‬ ‭based‬ ‭application‬ ‭of‬ ‭the‬ ‭hand‬ ‭layup‬
‭process‬ ‭(open‬ ‭moulding)‬ ‭and‬ ‭make‬ ‭a‬ ‭report‬ ‭on‬ ‭how‬ ‭the‬ ‭hand‬ ‭layup‬ ‭process‬ ‭is‬ ‭performed.‬
‭Report‬‭writing‬‭should‬‭be‬‭both‬‭brief‬‭and‬‭clear.‬‭The‬‭procedure‬‭should‬‭be‬‭given‬‭more‬‭emphasis.‬
‭And do not copy it from each other.‬
‭For example: fiberglass bathtubs, boat hulls and decks, Truck Cabs etc‬

‭Procedure:‬
‭ .‬ G
1 ‭ o through the theory and experiment video‬
‭2.‬ ‭Mention with industry you are targeting‬
‭3.‬ ‭List‬ ‭down‬ ‭products‬ ‭that‬ ‭are‬ ‭often‬ ‭used‬ ‭in‬ ‭that‬ ‭industry‬ ‭sector‬ ‭and‬ ‭are‬ ‭made‬ ‭with‬
‭plastics/composites‬
‭4.‬ ‭Select one such product‬
‭5.‬ ‭List down the procedure that need to be followed for making the same using composite‬
‭6.‬ ‭Reason can be added why you are suggesting these procedure‬
‭7.‬ ‭Reference‬

‭ .‬ h
1 ‭ ttps://www.compositesworld.com/columns/open-molding‬
‭2.‬ ‭Callister, William Jr. Materials Science and Engineering An Introduction.Seventh Edition.‬
‭2007‬
‭3.‬ ‭https://www.fibreglast.com‬