Carbon Fiber Composites Course

Lesson 1 • Industry Applications and Market Overview

Maps carbon fiber composite use across aerospace, automotive, wind energy, and sporting goods sectors. Contextualizes technical decisions within commercial and performance-driven requirements.

Lesson 2 • What Are Carbon Fiber Composites

Defines composite materials and distinguishes carbon fiber from glass and aramid fibers. Provides the conceptual baseline for all subsequent material selection decisions.

Lesson 3 • Carbon Fiber Manufacturing Processes

Explains how PAN and pitch precursors are converted into carbon fiber through oxidation, carbonization, and graphitization. Links process parameters to final fiber mechanical properties.

Lesson 4 • Fiber Architecture and Weave Styles

Covers unidirectional, woven, and multiaxial fabric architectures and their effect on stiffness and strength. Connects fabric selection to load-path requirements in structural design.

Lesson 1 • Thermal and Environmental Effects

Analyzes how moisture absorption, temperature cycling, and UV exposure degrade composite properties. Prepares students to specify environmental knockdown factors in structural analysis.

Lesson 2 • Strength and Failure Criteria

Presents maximum stress, Tsai-Wu, and Puck failure criteria for predicting first-ply and progressive failure. Enables students to apply appropriate criteria based on loading conditions.

Lesson 3 • Laminate Theory and Stacking Sequences

Introduces classical laminate theory to predict stiffness and coupling behavior of multi-ply laminates. Guides students in designing balanced and symmetric layups for structural efficiency.

Lesson 4 • Anisotropy and Orthotropic Behavior

Explains direction-dependent stiffness and strength in fiber-reinforced composites. Establishes why isotropic metal assumptions cannot be applied to composite laminates.

Lesson 1 • Vacuum Bagging and Consolidation

Explains vacuum bag assembly, consumable stack configuration, and leak detection for effective laminate consolidation. Proper bagging directly controls void content and fiber volume fraction.

Lesson 2 • Prepreg Handling and Layup

Introduces prepreg storage, cutting, and hand layup procedures for controlled fiber-volume-fraction laminates. Connects prepreg handling discipline to consistent mechanical property achievement.

Lesson 3 • Common Defects and Root Cause Analysis

Identifies voids, dry spots, wrinkles, and delaminations caused by hand layup errors. Trains students to trace defects to specific process steps and implement corrective actions.

Lesson 4 • Wet Layup Process Execution

Details resin mixing, fabric cutting, wet-out, and ply consolidation steps for hand layup. Emphasizes consistent fiber wet-out and void minimization as quality benchmarks.

Lesson 1 • Cure Kinetics and Resin Rheology

Explains resin viscosity evolution, gel point, and vitrification during cure using DSC and rheometry data. Links cure kinetics to cure cycle design decisions for void-free consolidation.

Lesson 2 • Autoclave Equipment and Operation

Describes autoclave components, loading procedures, thermocouple placement, and safety interlocks. Operational competence ensures repeatable cure quality and personnel safety.

Lesson 3 • Cure Cycle Design Principles

Covers ramp rates, dwell temperatures, pressure application timing, and cool-down rates for epoxy prepreg systems. Optimized cure cycles minimize residual stress and maximize mechanical properties.

Lesson 4 • Out-of-Autoclave Cure Methods

Introduces oven cure, heated press, and resistance heating as alternatives to autoclave processing. Evaluates trade-offs in void content, cycle time, and capital cost for each method.

Lesson 1 • Resin Transfer Molding Process

Covers RTM tooling, injection pressure control, vent management, and cure-in-mold procedures for net-shape parts. RTM enables tighter dimensional tolerances than open-mold infusion methods.

Lesson 2 • Principles of Liquid Composite Molding

Establishes Darcy's law, permeability, and preform compaction as governing physics of resin flow. Provides the analytical foundation for designing injection and infusion strategies.

Lesson 3 • Troubleshooting Infusion Defects

Identifies race-tracking, dry spots, porosity, and incomplete fill and links each to specific setup or material errors. Systematic troubleshooting reduces scrap and rework in production infusion.

Lesson 4 • Resin Formulation for Infusion

Examines low-viscosity resin systems, pot life requirements, and toughening strategies compatible with infusion processes. Resin selection directly governs fill completeness and final part toughness.

Lesson 1 • Adhesive Bonding of Composites

Details surface preparation, adhesive selection, bondline thickness control, and cure fixturing for structural adhesive joints. Proper surface prep is the single largest determinant of bond strength.

Lesson 2 • Mechanical Fastening Strategies

Covers bolt bearing, bypass, and combined loading analysis for composite bolted joints and fastener selection. Correct clamp-up torque and washer sizing prevent local crushing of composite laminates.

Lesson 3 • Co-Curing and Co-Bonding Techniques

Explains co-cure, co-bond, and secondary bonding strategies for integrating substructures during manufacturing. Method selection balances tooling complexity, dimensional control, and joint strength requirements.

Lesson 4 • Drilling and Hole Quality

Explains drill geometry, feed rate, and backup material requirements for producing clean holes in carbon fiber laminates. Hole quality directly affects bearing strength and fatigue life of fastened joints.

Lesson 1 • Acceptance Criteria and Disposition

Establishes defect size limits, allowable void content, and disposition options including repair, rework, or rejection. Acceptance criteria must be traceable to structural analysis and design allowables.

Lesson 2 • Ultrasonic Inspection Methods

Covers pulse-echo, through-transmission, and phased-array ultrasonic techniques for detecting delaminations and voids. Ultrasonic inspection is the primary NDT method for composite aerospace structures.

Lesson 3 • Radiographic and Computed Tomography

Explains X-ray radiography and industrial CT scanning for volumetric defect characterization in composite parts. CT provides three-dimensional defect mapping not achievable with surface or ultrasonic methods alone.

Lesson 4 • Quality Management in Composite Production

Covers incoming material inspection, process control documentation, first-article inspection, and traceability requirements. Systematic quality management prevents systemic defects and supports regulatory compliance.

Lesson 1 • Design Allowables and Knockdown Factors

Explains A-basis and B-basis statistical allowables and environmental, damage, and manufacturing knockdown factors. Allowables form the quantitative foundation for all composite structural sizing decisions.

Lesson 2 • Layup Optimization Methods

Presents gradient-based and genetic algorithm optimization approaches for minimizing weight while meeting strength and stiffness constraints. Optimization reduces material use without compromising structural performance.

Lesson 3 • Structural Testing and Validation

Covers coupon, element, subcomponent, and full-scale testing within the building-block validation pyramid. Test data calibrates analysis models and demonstrates compliance with structural requirements.

Lesson 4 • Finite Element Analysis for Composites

Introduces shell and solid element modeling, ply-level material input, and failure index output for composite FEA. FEA enables virtual design iteration before committing to expensive physical testing.