At present, the most urgent task of the Russian aviation manufacturing industry is to develop domestic composite materials and apply them to complex aviation structures. Russia's Central Institute of Aerodynamics (TsAGI) has been actively working in this direction, and one of its latest achievements has been the development of a vacuum infusion process for the production of composite materials.
TsAGI is implementing a technology update program for the Aviation Science Center to transform the production area of large polymer composite models and aircraft structural test pieces with a total area of 2,500 square meters. According to the chief engineer of the TsAGI Research and Production Center, Georgi Gusev, the transformation involves many production sites, such as mold manufacturing, vacuum molding, automatic dip dyeing, painting and final assembly.
A modern hot infusion center has been set up to produce polymer composite parts using a vacuum infusion process. The vacuum infusion process involves pre-injecting a liquid adhesive into a evacuated material (glass or carbon fiber), and then curing and forming a rigid polymer matrix.
Yuriyev Dokimov, head of the Science and Technology Center at TsAGI Research and Production Center, said the method is both economical and environmentally friendly. Modern equipment enables the molding process to be tailored to each part, and uses a variety of adhesives and reinforcements.
Previously, polymer composites made using vacuum infusion technology were small in size, only 1 square meter, and now TsAGI experts can produce aerodynamic models with wingspans up to 20 meters.
In the near future, TsAGI will begin to produce demonstration products for the wing power structure of regional aircraft, which will be used for system research and scientific production of semi-product reserves to ensure the establishment of "small aircraft" civil aircraft structures and technology platforms.