ABSTRACT
The bag molding process is used primarily for manufacturing laminated composite structures and components using thermoset matrix prepreg sheet or tape as the starting material. This chapter describes the bag molding process and the associated process parameters. It discusses the processing of sandwich laminates. Prepreg is a thin sheet of material containing either unidirectional continuous fibers or woven fabric impregnated with a predetermined amount of partially cured thermosetting polymer matrix. Prepregs are specified by the fiber type, fiber architecture, resin type, fiber aerial weight, resin content, and cured ply thickness. The automated tape-laying machines are programmed to operate with user-defined parameters, such as mold surface topology, ply boundaries, fiber orientation angle in each ply, number of layers to be laid, and tape cutting angle. The cure temperature is usually prescribed by the prepreg manufacturer for the particular resin–catalyst system used in the prepreg and is determined from the time–temperature–viscosity characteristics of the resin–catalyst system.
