From the last blog post, we have made some slight modifications to our logo, met our liaison engineers for the first time, presented our logo & problem to the IPPD class, and done some preliminary research on possible physic solutions for our project. In addition, each individual on the team researched “what is prepreg” and “what the processes are to layup prepreg” to understand prepreg use in the industry better.

We also met with our coach, Dr. Peter Ifju, for the 2nd time and received many great pointers that were able to narrow down our possible solutions. After our meeting, the coach gave the team a tour of his composite lab, where we could see how prepreg is stored and physically interact with the prepreg with the backer material. Through this hands-on experience with the prepreg, we were able to confirm/eliminate solutions we had in mind.

Next week, we plan on developing additional project goal specifications, research material characterization techniques, and their interaction with carbon fiber as potential solutions.