P /20093 Composites Autoclave Brandon Allen (EE) <> Matt Brady (ME) <> Brian Cario (ME) <> Matt DiFrancesco (ME) <> John Mink (EE) ‏ Chris DeMinco (Faculty Guide) <> Carl Lundgren (Sponsor) <> Rob Aldi (Sponsor) ‏ Mission Statement: To design a composites autoclave to be able to hold 150psi at a temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The vessel should be built to be able to maintain 15psi with intent to add additional features designed by future Multidisciplinary Senior Design projects. Background: A composites autoclave is a vessel that can hold pressure at a desired temperature in an effort to create composite materials, including carbon fiber, that are lighter and stronger than their steel counterparts. Motivation: Production models with minimal options start at upwards of $85,000, but this autoclave will be developed at 1/10 the cost with most of the functionality. The increased strength and weight savings by creating composite materials in the autoclave also provides great opportunities for the RIT SAE Teams to use cutting edge technology. Additional Information: For additional information, please visit our teams website at: What is an autoclave? An autoclave serves many purposes in many different applications from automotive to the aerospace industries. By creating an increased temperature and increased pressure environment, resin systems cure better, creating stronger bonds and therefore a stronger part. How will this benefit RIT? RIT clubs and student organizations, like RIT Baja SAE, will be able to create strong, light parts for their applications without needing to depend on outside sources to help them complete their tasks. When they need to make a last minute part, the autoclave will be at their disposal ready to create their new A-arm or other critical components to make their team a success. Other benefits include: -Student Projects -Classroom Experience -Potential Outside Investors Where will it be located? The autoclave will be located in the Composites Lab in Building 78. This room provides room for expanding on current capabilities with the availability of 230V, 3-phase power for heating, and a fume hood for proper ventilation of composite gases. A Special Thanks: All of us on the Composites Autoclave Team would like to thank the following people and organizations for all of their support. Autoclave Specifications: -150psi maximum pressure -400 O F maximum temperature -Exterior will be a safe temperature -2' diameter by 5' deep to touch Test Specifications: The autoclave was hydrostatically tested to 300psi and all components will be tested to 450 O F and 300psi to make sure that no devices will fail. Future Additions: Rob Aldi (MET '09)‏ Carl Lundgren (MET)‏ Dr. Edward Hensel (ME)‏ Dan Johnson (MET)‏ Raymond Schlosser Electrical Control A complete electrical integration will be implemented so that pressure and temperature can be changed with the push of a button. The ability to interface with a National Instruments Data Acquisition unit was a main focus of the electrical design, so that further information can be gathered and displayed for the user. Bulkhead connectors are also available for feeding electrical signals into the vessel. The connectors are made by PAVE Technology Co. and are guaranteed to work at our 150psi, 400 O F requirements. Heating System Three incoloy heating elements, one per leg of the 3-phase supply, will supply the chamber with enough heat to reach 400 O F, aided by a blower in the back of the autoclave to increase air flow. A typical ramp rate of at least 5-10 O F per minute will be obtained. Computer Control Integrating a NI-DAQ and a Desktop Computer allows the operator to create multi-step processes which can be saved and easily reused at a later date. This also offers a GUI which contains all data essential to the autoclave operation. This control can translate directly into both more power and easier use for the operator. In addition the user will be provided with up-to-date information about the conditions inside of the autoclave. This will allow the user to adjust conditions or stop the autoclave if an error is to occur. FEA Analysis: Finite Element Analysis was performed on all structural components using Cosmos. The components used to fabricate the pressure vessel are all approved by the manufacturer to withstand pressures in excess of the project goals, which was confirmed by this analysis. The pressure vessel tank has a factor of safety of 3.64 at 150psig and the door has a factor of safety of 3.40 under the same conditions. All other components have even greater factors of safety. A factor of safety of at least 2 was physically verified by hydrostatically testing the completed vessel to 300psig. Hydrostatic Testing: Results: The vessel successfully held more than 300psi for 4 hours, losing only about 2.5psi. This loss would have been minimized had the test been run longer as the change in temperature was still causing the pressure to ramp back up at the end of the test.