Microwave curing carbon fiber composites automobile rearview mirror
Jing Chen, Shenghui Guo, Kaihua Chen, Guozhen Zhao, Xiaobao Zhu, Ming Hou, Guoxin Jiang
Abstract
Microwave curing technology was used to fabricate the automobile rear-view mirror, which is a specially shaped component of carbon fiber/epoxy resin composite. Through dynamic thermo-mechanical analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscope, and infrared spectroscopic analysis, the curing degree and structure of microwave-cured and conventionally cured samples were compared and analyzed. The results showed that the curing mechanism of microwave curing is different from that of thermal curing. Microwave curing improves the curing reaction rate and shortens the curing period. It was found that the curing degree of microwave-cured samples was significantly higher than that of conventionally cured samples.