An objective comparison of common vacuum assisted resin infusion processes

Oosterom, Simon J. van; Allen, Tom; Battley, Mark; Bickerton, Simon

doi:10.1016/j.compositesa.2019.105528

Cited by 59 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…All VI experiments were carried out on preform layers stacked and trimmed rectangular of dimensions 300 Â 150 mm 2 . Line inlet and outlet of spiral tubes were placed along the shorter side of the preform.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vacuum infusion in porous preform with different mould configurations: Flow simulation and experimental validation

Adhikari

Gururaja

Hemchandra

2020

Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites

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The present work focuses on the formulation of transient incompressible resin flow during vacuum-assisted resin transfer moulding using level set front tracking method in a multi-block structured grid within a finite difference framework. Initially, the relation between compaction pressure and fibre volume fraction ([Formula: see text]) has been established by conducting compression tests using a universal tensile machine under dry and wet conditions. In-plane permeability has been characterised as a function of [Formula: see text] using three thicknesses of unidirectional carbon fabric (4, 8 and 12 plies). A pressure data acquisition system and a non-contact out-of-plane displacement measurement setup have been developed using a single lens camera to conduct the vacuum infusion experiments. The numerical model prediction of the instantaneous change in pressure, displacement, and fill time has been validated with the experiments for the three different thickness of unidirectional preform in a flat plate and a plate with a centrally located hole during vacuum infusion. The coupled transient flow model with the level set interface propagation in a multi-block framework shows a good agreement with vacuum infusion experiments. The proposed transient vacuum infusion flow model, compaction relation with [Formula: see text], permeability and experimental setup show the potential to capture realistic flow physics during vacuum infusion on different mould configurations.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vacuum infusion in porous preform with different mould configurations: Flow simulation and experimental validation

Adhikari

Gururaja

Hemchandra

2020

Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites

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“…These types of compaction experiments are commonly performed using Universal Testing Machine where the compaction force (and thus the compaction pressure) is tracked for a preset thickness evolution. 28,[48][49][50][51][52] In these experiments, distributed sensors can also be embedded between the compaction setup and the reinforcement to assess the local pressure distribution during compaction. [53][54][55] Pressure-controlled experiments mimic the VI process where the reinforcement thickness is dictated by the compaction pressure.…”

Section: Compaction Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring and modeling of part thickness evolution in vacuum infusion process

Caglar

Hancioglu

Sozer

2020

Journal of Composite Materials

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The main hurdles in Vacuum Infusion (VI) are the difficulty in achieving complete mold filling and uniform part thickness. This study integrates process monitoring by full field thickness measurements and resin flow modeling that accounts for compaction and permeability characterizations of fabric reinforcements to assess the evolution of part thickness during filling and post-filling stages of VI process. A Structured Light Scanning system is used for full field thickness monitoring in experiments and a Control Volume Finite Element Method solver is implemented to couple resin flow with fabric’s compaction and permeability. Two cases are studied both experimentally and numerically. Evolutions of thickness and pressure validate the developed flow solver, its accuracy in terms of predicting fill times and fill patterns, suitability and limitations of the elastic compaction models for thickness modeling.

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“…Oosterom et al 36 suggested that there is a significant variation in the achieved fibre volume fractions between different methods of vacuum application. The time between the end of filling and the application of the post-filling conditions was very critical, especially when decreasing the compaction pressure during postfilling (particularly for the A/900 experiments).…”

Section: Discussion and Recommendations For Industry Process Variationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Control of laminate quality for parts manufactured using the resin infusion process

Kazmi

Govignon

Bickerton

2018

Journal of Composite Materials

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Resin infusion is a manufacturing process used to produce fibre-reinforced thermo-set polymer components. This process is utilised in a range of industries such as aerospace, automotive, marine, rail and defense and is a cheaper method when compared to other closed mould or autoclave manufacturing methods, particularly as the size of the parts increases. In this study, wet compaction characteristics and behaviour of three glass fibre reinforcements were analysed, and 2D panels were manufactured with a selection of inlet and vent pressure combinations during both the filling and post-filling stages of the process to achieve control of the final fibre volume fractions. Reinforcement thickness and resin pressure were monitored throughout each experiment and the achieved fibre volume fractions were measured post-manufacture. Void content was analysed microscopically and related to the respective experimental parameters set. The compaction result fairly predicted the achieved fibre volume fraction of the manufactured part. The possibility of controlling the fibre volume fraction through control of the post-filling pressure was demonstrated. Even though there was a risk of increased void content with some post-filling configurations, the fibre volume fraction could still be controlled without creating voids with careful application of post-filling conditions.

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An objective comparison of common vacuum assisted resin infusion processes

Cited by 59 publications

References 18 publications

Vacuum infusion in porous preform with different mould configurations: Flow simulation and experimental validation

Vacuum infusion in porous preform with different mould configurations: Flow simulation and experimental validation

Monitoring and modeling of part thickness evolution in vacuum infusion process

Control of laminate quality for parts manufactured using the resin infusion process

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