Thesis Defense by Alastair Komus on November 28th
Space Studies master’s student, Alastair Komus, will defend his M.S. thesis on Tuesday, November 28th. All Space Studies students and faculty are encouraged to attend.
When: Tuesday, November 28th at 8:30 a.m. (Central)
Where: Clifford Hall, Room 521—Space Studies Conference Room (note room change due to SpSt 501 conflict)
Title: “Outgassing of Out-of-Autoclave Composite Primary Structures for Small Satellites”
About the topic: Out-of-autoclave vacuum bagged only (VBO) processing is capable of producing lower cost composite primary structures for small satellites than autoclave processing. However, the outgassing performance of VBO structures in a vacuum environment has not been examined. Panels were manufactured from CYCOM 5320-1 and TC275-1 carbon fiber/epoxy prepreg using VBO processing. The humidity level, pre-cure dwell time, and cure cycle parameters were varied during manufacturing. The degree of cure and glass transition temperature were shown to increase with increasing oven temperature. Processing humidity levels and the length of pre-cure dwell times had no discernable effect on the total mass loss (TML) and collected volatile condensable material (CVCM) that were outgassed under vacuum. Instead the TML was controlled by moisture saturation after manufacturing. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that epoxy oligomers were the primary CVCM. The study showed the VBO laminates had outgassing values that were comparable to the autoclave cured laminates.
About the presenter: Alastair graduated with his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Manitoba in 2006 and 2011 respectively. During that time he investigated the fatigue life of composite materials from an experimental and analytical perspective. Alastair has worked for the Composites Innovation Centre since 2005. He is now the Principal Engineer for the Ground Transportation and Design team at CIC, performing research and stress analysis on composite material systems. He has been involved in the design and analysis of a wide range of parts for the space, bus, automotive, aerospace, and industrial sectors.
******Those unable to attend in person may view the live webcast******
1) A live webcast which includes PowerPoint slides will be available here.
2) Via Adobe ConnectPro. Sign in as a guest, or use your Connect-Pro log-in.