Mechanical and physical properties investigations of carbon fiber prepreg composites fabricated by the out-of-autoclave method with rapid curing for prosthetic foot applications

The use of carbon fiber prepreg composites offers a superior material solution, the efficiency of the production process using conventional methods is often constrained by very long curing times. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the effect of heating rate variations in the Rapid Curing (RC) method on the mechanical and physical properties of carbon fiber prepreg composites for prosthetic foot applications. The fabrication process was carried out using the Out-of-Autoclave (OoA) method with the Vacuum Bag Only (VBO) technique at heating rate variations of 1.5 °C/min, 3 °C/min, and 5 °C/min. The fabricated specimens were evaluated through a series of mechanical tests, including tensile, bending, and impact tests, as well as physical tests consisting of density and porosity measurements. A heating rate of 3 °C/min produced the best composite performance, evidenced by the lowest porosity, highest density, and improved tensile, flexural, and impact strengths compared to specimens prepared at other heating rates.