ORCID Number
0009-0009-9740-1866
Date of Award
Summer 7-6-2026
Embargo Period
7-6-2027
Access Type
Thesis - Open Access
Degree Name
Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering
Department
Aerospace Engineering
Committee Chair
Seetha Raghavan
Committee Chair Email
raghavs3@erau.edu
First Committee Member
Michael Kinzel
First Committee Member Email
kinzelm@erau.edu
Second Committee Member
Sirish Namilae
Second Committee Member Email
namilaes@erau.edu
College Dean
James W. Gregory
Abstract
In-space manufacturing requires processing methods that produce reliable materials under containerless or reduced-gravity conditions. UV-curable photopolymer nanocomposites are promising candidates, but the liquid-to-solid transition introduces shrinkage and residual stress that may differ between Earth-based and microgravity-relevant processing. This thesis investigates how contacted (mold) and containerless (acoustic levitation) curing conditions affect the structural evolution, residual stress, and mechanical behavior of alumina-filled photopolymer nanocomposites.
In-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) tracked lattice strain in the alumina phase during UV curing, with photoluminescence spectroscopy as a portable complement and post-cure compression testing relating curing condition to mechanical behavior. XRD showed that the direction of the lattice strain was reversed depending on the curing condition. Contacted curing induced tensile strain due to mold constraint, and containerless curing induced compressive strain due to free volumetric shrinkage. This difference persisted for alumina loadings from 5 to 15 vol%. Photoluminescence tracked the early-stage compressive response during curing, confirming that embedded particles can act as stress sensors.
Containerless curing does not simply reduce residual stress. It reverses the strain direction and changes the mechanical and optical behavior, so materials cured under microgravity-relevant conditions cannot be assumed to be the same as those cured on Earth. This work demonstrates that acoustic levitation is a useful ground-based platform for studying microgravity-relevant curing, and that synchrotron XRD and photoluminescence spectroscopy together link real-time curing behavior to final material properties.
Scholarly Commons Citation
Jantananont, Punyada, "Material Behavior During Containerless Curing of Nanocomposites for In-space Manufacturing" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses. 1008.
https://commons.erau.edu/edt/1008
