AeroMat Home      ASM Homepage
Back to "Session 2: Structures with Improved Performance" Search
  Back to "Light Alloys and Structures" Search  Back to Main Search

Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 8:00 AM
LMM4.7

Hybrid Laminates Made by Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding

B. J. Jensen, R. J. Cano, S. J. Hales, NASA, Hampton, VA

Fiber metal laminates (FMLs) are multi-component materials utilizing metals, fibers and matrix resins.  Tailoring their properties is readily achievable by varying one or more of these components.  Established FMLs like GLARE utilize aluminum foils, glass fibers and epoxy matrices and are manufactured using an autoclave. Two new processes for manufacturing FMLs using vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) have been developed at the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC).  A description of these processes and the resulting FMLs will be presented.