Microwave technology for modification of large-scale structures made of cured polymer composite materials

Yuri Gagarin Saratov State Technical University, Saratov, Russia

^* Corresponding author: irinka_7_@mail.ru

Published online: 10 March 2025

Abstract

An analysis of the results of strengthening modification of cured polymer composite materials in a microwave electromagnetic field has been conducted. It has been demonstrated that the essential factor for achieving the desired effect is a combination of energy flux density and exposure time, ensuring the material is heated to a temperature of 60-80°C. The drawbacks of implementing microwave modification in beam-type chambers with sequentially arranged emitters have been noted. It has been proposed to perform strengthening microwave modification of large-sized products made of polymer composite materials by discretely moving (scanning) a horn emitter across the product surface with a delay at each scanning step. Experimental studies of the temperature field distribution on the irradiated surface have been carried out for various scanning schemes. A rational overlap value of the directional pattern areas with maximum energy flux density at each scanning step has been established at 25%, ensuring uniform heating of the product surface with a spread of no more than ±5°C, which consequently allows for the realization of a uniform distribution of physical and mechanical properties of the modified structure.