Abstract:
Resin Infusion (a.k.a. Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Moulding (VARTM)) is a manufacturing technique used to produce fibre reinforced thermo-set polymer components. Standard processing techniques in industry provide little control over part weight and quality. Significant opportunities exist to better control laminate thickness and void content, and to improve repeatability of the process and part quality. This work presents an experimental study of the influence on the final laminate quality of pressure control at injection gates and vents, during both the filling, and post-filling phases. Through this study, guidelines will be established for industry to improve process control and part quality. The compaction behaviour of three non-crimp E-glass reinforcements was analysed and the results were used to select vent pressure during post-filling to reach various target fibre volume fractions. The influence of the pressure gradient during filling was also investigated. Panels were manufactured using epoxy resin and the three characterized fibre reinforcements while monitoring the local fluid pressure and laminate thickness. The average and local thickness of the finished laminate were also measured along with a visual analysis of the void content and distribution.
