A Comparative Study of an Aircraft Radome Closed Mold through Vacuum Infusion Technique

Abstract

In this paper, manufacturing process of aircraft radome via closed mold with vacuum infusion process is presented. Closed mold is needed to get smooth inner and outer surface. The radome mold was formed from the original part of the aircraft Duke 60 Beachcraft. The closed mold is made from fiber glass/polyester composite via hand lay-up technique. Tooling grade vinyl ester gel coat is applied on the mold to produce fine smooth surface and protection. Later, the radome part is fabricated with vacuum infusion and the consistency of thickness is achieved.

Vacuum Infusion Simulation for Radome Manufacturing Using Woven Flax Fibre and Glass Fibre

“…Flax fibres are cost-effective and offer specific mechanical properties comparable to those of glass fibres [4,6]. Haris et al, [8] have performed a comparison study between vacuum infusion and vacuum bagging methods. Both methods give a good comparable thickness consistency.…”

Influence of yarn parameters on cotton/kenaf blended yarn characteristics

“…Despite its promising future, the preform supplies of these fibers is limited to nonwoven which only provides for low strength applications. Recently, new varieties of unidirectional and woven biofibers have path the way for a high-performance biocomposite with its high strength, low density and ease of handling [4]. Kenaf in particular is known to have an advantage over other natural fibers due to its high stiffness, low density, short gestation period and is a highly resilient plant.…”

“…However, the irregular form of the blended fibers aggravated by the bundled form of kenaf fibers cause unevenness in the kenaf-cotton blend, which leads to poor yarn quality [8]. Alkalization, a common surface treatment for biofibers is commonly used to separate kenaf fiber bundles by removing hemicellulose which acts as a binder between the fibers [4]. Alkalization also improves strength of individual kenaf fibers as removal of impurities improves the uniformity of the fibers.…”

“…. The optimized yarn structural parameter is Kenaf fiber treated at 6% and with a kenaf/cotton 40/60 blending ratio based on its tenacity and minimum carding waste 4…”