Spray Layup Process
Spray Layup Process
Spray Layup Process
High fatigue
Stiffness
life
Composites
Reduced High corrosion
weight resistance
High chemical
resistance
Toughness
degradation
resistance
Matrix materials used in composites?
Matrix
Materials
Carbon &
Polymers Metals Ceramics
Graphite
x Since the process is worked by hands, there are safety and hazard
considerations.
x The resin needs to be less viscous so that it can be easily worked by hands.
x The quality of the final product is highly skill dependent of the labours.
x Uniform distribution of resin inside the fabric is not possible leading to voids
in the laminate.
x Possibility of diluting the contents.
Spray Lay-Up
• The spray lay-up technique can be said to be an extension of the hand lay-
up method.
• ‘’Spray-Up also known as chop method of creating fiberglass objects by
spraying short strands of glass out of a pneumatic gun.’’
• Spray-up is an open moulding composites fabrication process where resin
and reinforcements are sprayed onto a reusable mould.
• Spray lay-up method is used for lower load carrying parts like small boats,
bath tubs, fairing of trucks etc.
• This method provides high volume fraction of reinforcement in composites
and virtually, there is no part size limitation in this technique.
• A spray gun is used to spray pressurized resin and
reinforcement which is in the form of chopped
fibers.
• Glass roving is used as a reinforcement which passes
through spray gun where it is chopped with a
chopper gun.
• Matrix material and reinforcement may be sprayed
simultaneously or separately one after one.
• Spray release gel is applied on to the mold surface
to facilitate the easy removal of component from
the mold.
• A roller is rolled over the sprayed material to
remove air trapped into the lay-ups.
• After spraying fiber and resin to required thickness,
curing of the product is done either at room
temperature or at elevated temperature.
• After curing, mold is opened and the developed
composite part is taken out and further processed
further. The time of curing depends on type of
Fig.3 Spray Lay-Up Image Courtesy: AOC Aliancys polymer used for composite processing.
Fig.4 Spray Lay-Up Image Courtesy: NTPEL Lecture Notes
Materials Used
Matrix Epoxy, polyester, polyvinyl ester, phenolic resin, unsaturated polyester,
polyurethane resin
Reinforcement Glass fiber, carbon fiber, aramid fiber, natural plant fibers (sisal,
banana, nettle, hemp, flax, coir, cotton, jute etc.)
(all these fibers are in the form of chopped short fibers, flakes, particle
fillers etc.)
Advantages Disadvantages
• It is a very economical process for • Not suitable for making parts that
making small to large parts. have high structural requirements.
• It utilizes low-cost tooling as well as • Difficult to control the fibre volume
low-cost material systems. fraction as well as the thickness.
• It is suitable for small- to medium • Highly depend on operator skill.
volume parts. • The process offers a good surface
finish on one side and a rough surface
finish on the other side.
• The process is not suitable for parts
where dimensional accuracy and
process repeatability are prime
concerns.
Application
References
• Plastic Materials and Processes, Schwartz, S.S, Van Nostrand Reinhold
Company, 1982,Reinforced Plastics/Composites Processing, p. 729.