VOID REDUCTION IN AUTOCLAVE PROCESSING OF THERMOSET COMPOSITES .2. VOID REDUCTION IN A MICROWAVE CURING PROCESS

Microwave curing of thermoset composites has been experimentally shown to be both feasible and viable. There are, however, additional problems when the process is applied industrially such as maximization of the glass transition temperature and reduction of the void content. This paper attempts to explain how the reduction of void content can be achieved in microwave curing, by means of a modified approach involving vacuum bagging and applied autoclave pressure.