Successfully manufacturing a composite requires the correct combination of temperature, pressure, and curing time. To find the best process for each specific material and service condition, several curing processes are tried and the resultant material tested. The thermosetting process being simulated by Ahmad's group binds the fibers and resins used to make a composite. The materials are placed in an autoclave that applies heat and pressure at different stages of the curing process. While in the autoclave, the resin starts as a liquid, undergoes a state change, combines with the fibers, and becomes a new material.
Pressure is used to drive out gas bubbles trapped in the resin.
Heat changes the composition of the ingredients and permanently combines the various component materials to produce the composite after subsequent cooling. In this curing process the temperature and pressure must not exceed predetermined levels or the composite will have imperfections. This means that the composite's internal temperature increases rapidly, exceeding a predetermined temperature that the material is supposed to reach, while the external temperature does not exceed this value. Because the interior material becomes hotter than its outer surface, the composite is not evenly cured and its consolidation is imperfect. Ahmad compared the process to an old family recipe having reached perfection through the process of generations of people making mistakes.