ABSTRACT

The use of VBO prepregs in part fabrication has grown over the past several years. There have been a number of process improvements to both the prepreg and the part fabrication. Three of the more significant are discussed. The cure cycle for VBO has been heretofore too long to be considered for serial production parts. A new, shorter cure cycle is discussed which brings VBO into the realm of autoclave cycle times. The second is the methodology to fabricate parts where the bulk factor of a VBO prepreg inhibits part consolidation without wrinkles or bridging. Lastly, a discussion of prepreg impregnation design and a new methodology to study porosity formation in Automated Fiber Placed laminates. These discussions are the latest thinking on the subject and indicate that VBO part fabrication has a place in mainstream aircraft design and part fabrication.

BIO

Randy Johnsen has been in the aerospace composites field for over 35 years. He came from a commodity chemical manufacture background to work at NARMCO Materials in Costa Mesa, and later, Anaheim. He left as Process Engineering Group Leader to become Technical Manager for Hexcel in Livermore. After stints in M&A, Quality Management, and Plant Management, he left Hexcel a manager of all prepreg operation in the US, joining Dexter as VP Operations for Adhesive & Coating Systems. Dexter was purchased by Loctite, that later became Henkel. As VP Operations at Henkel, he oversaw a worldwide expansion of adhesives production and introduction of new products. He later moved back to Southern California as Director of Operations at M.C. Gill. He now has come full circle, back to the former NARMCO plant in Anaheim, managing Cytec Aerospace’s field technical service operation in the Americas. Randy has been instrumental in the introduction and application of VBO technology at many companies. He travels internationally giving technical presentations and assisting in part fabrications.

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