No abstract

The production of advanced composite molds is composed by different steps: mold design, mold engineering, materials choice, preparation of master models, and molds and production of mold accessories, fittings, support tools, and fixtures. These steps are presented in this article. In particular, as regards the step of mold engineering, techniques for recording designs such as CAD and CAM are presented. In conclusion to this article, a discussion on quality control and the inspection of advanced composite molds and tools is reported; these important aspects, which are usually considered at the end of materials and process manufacturing, should also be considered at the very beginning of a structural and conceptual engineering design, even before the mold and tool design process is chosen.

Long-term physical, mechanical, electrical, and other properties of advanced composites, plastics, and other polymer materials are greatly affected by high-energy proton, neutron, electron, and gamma radiation. The effects of high-energy particles on materials is a critical design parameter to consider when choosing polymeric structural, nonstructural, and elastomeric matrix resin systems. Polymer materials used for filled resins, laminates, seals, gaskets, coatings, insulation and other nonmetallic components must be chosen carefully, and reference data viewed with caution. Most reference data collected in the high-energy physics community to date reflects material property degradation using other than proton irradiations. In most instances, the data were collected for room-temperature irradiations, not 4.2 K or other cryogenic temperatures, and at doses less than 108-109 Rad. Energetic proton (and the accompanying spallation-product particles) provide good simulation fidelity to the expected radiation fields predicted for the cold-mass regions of the SSC magnets, especially the corrector magnets. We present here results for some structural composite materials which were part of a larger irradiatio.n-characterization of polymeric materials for SSC applications. EXPER IM ENTAL Specimens were supplied to BNL and SSCL by the vendors in either 2.5x.25x.25 or 2.5x.25x0.125 inch lengths. After characterization they were irradiated in liquid helium with 200-MeV protons to nominal doses of either 188 or l09 rad at the Brookhaven Radiation Effects Facility. The specimen temperatures during radiation did not rise above 20 K. They we_ .en stored in liquid nitrogen until ready tor mechanical testing at 4.2 K. Prior to the mechanical tests, the specimens were annealed at room temperature tor one week. Standard ASTM short-beam-shear *This work was performed under the auspices of the Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy.

No abstract