Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Date of Degree Completion

Spring 2018

Department

Mechanical Engineering Technology

Committee Chair

Dr. Craig Johnson

Second Committee Member

Charles Pringle

Third Committee Member

Roger Beardsley

Abstract

Title and Author: Composite Cutting Device by Misha Minasyan (Mechanical Engineering Technology)

As the aerospace industry innovates, so does the material that is being used. No longer are airplane manufacturers like Boeing depending on only various metals for making their wings. A transition over the past few years has been made to using composite materials because of there light weight and strength. The issue that composite material brings is that it cannot be recycled without processing. The current 777X made by Boeing has transitioned to used composite to manufacture their airplane wings.

A two student team developed two separate processes that would focus on making the recycling and transport of trimmings simpler. The first process focused on delaminating trimmings using a crushing device. The second process focused on cutting delaminated material. The purpose of delaminating and cutting the material is that it makes for more efficient storing off the scrap trimmings, as well as smaller components that could be chemically processed.

A kinetic energy experiment was conducted and scaled up to a full width and length of a trimming. It was determined that a 1750 RPM motor with 5 HP needed to be reduced to around 600 RPM. A federate of 100 in/minute will be used and will allow for delaminating and cutting with sizes of trimmings ranging from ½ “ to 2” pieces dependent of orientation of spacers. Results have not been compiled yet, but will be discussed during the presentation.

Keywords

Composite, Delaminating, Cutting

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