Analysis of pressure profile and flow progression in the vacuum infusion process

Modi, Dhiren; Johnson, M. S.; Long, A.C.; Rudd, C.D.

doi:10.1016/j.compscitech.2008.05.026

Cited by 33 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…As a result, a large research effort has been placed in recent years to develop tools that can simulate accurately this process. 3,[4][5][6][7][8][9][10] One drawback of VARI, particularly for very large components, is the long infiltration time because of the limited driving force (vacuum pressure). In order to overcome this limitation, a resin distribution medium with high permeability (as compared with the fiber preform) can be placed on top of the fiber preform, so infiltration takes place simultaneously in the preform plane and through-the-thickness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fabric compaction and infiltration during vacuum-assisted resin infusion with and without distribution medium

Vilà

González

LLorca

2016

Journal of Composite Materials

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Vacuum infusion experiments with and without distribution medium were carried out in woven E-glass fabric preforms. The experimental set-up was carefully designed to obtain a unidimensional in-plane flow between the inlet and outlet gate, which was combined with through-the-thickness infiltration in the tests carried out with a distribution medium. The variation of the fabric thickness during the infusion experiments was measured by means of digital image correlation, whereas the fluid pressure along the strip was obtained by means of pressure gages. Finally, the in-plane fabric permeability as a function of the fiber volume fraction and the fabric compactability were measured by means of independent tests. The experimental results provided a very detailed picture of the interaction between the fluid infiltration mechanisms and the preform deformation during in-plane and through-the-thickness flow, which is very useful to understand the complex interaction between permeability and compaction during infiltration.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fabric compaction and infiltration during vacuum-assisted resin infusion with and without distribution medium

Vilà

González

LLorca

2016

Journal of Composite Materials

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“…Research activities in recent years were focussed in understanding the physical mechanisms of infiltration including fluid flow, compaction and curing to overcome these limitations. The final goal was to develop simulation tools that can predict accurately the VARI process (see, for instance, Correia et al [3], Šimáček et al [14,13], Michaud and Mortensen [9], Trochu et al [17], Joubaud et al [7], Modi et al [10]). …”

Section: Vari (Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(10) and (9) have to be solved simultaneously within the 2D domain corresponding to the rectangular fabric of dimensions L Â B using the finite differences method, Fig. 8.…”

Section: Numerical Strategy and Discretizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

A level set approach for the analysis of flow and compaction during resin infusion in composite materials

Vilà

González

LLorca

2014

Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing

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a b s t r a c tFluid flow and fabric compaction during vacuum assisted resin infusion (VARI) of composite materials was simulated using a level set-based approach. Fluid infusion through the fiber preform was modeled using Darcy's equations for the fluid flow through a porous media. The stress partition between the fluid and the fiber bed was included by means of Terzaghi's effective stress theory. Tracking the fluid front during infusion was introduced by means of the level set method. The resulting partial differential equations for the fluid infusion and the evolution of flow front were discretized and solved approximately using the finite differences method with a uniform grid discretization of the spatial domain. The model results were validated against uniaxial VARI experiments through an [0] 8 E-glass plain woven preform. The physical parameters of the model were also independently measured. The model results (in terms of the fabric thickness, pressure and fluid front evolution during filling) were in good agreement with the numerical simulations, showing the potential of the level set method to simulate resin infusion.

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“…Regarding the abovementioned relationships for compressible preforms, it should be noted that compaction properties during resin injection can differ from those found in unsaturated conditions due to compaction hysteresis and lubrication effects [16,21,22,30]. Ideally, different compaction data should be used for describing dry preform compaction and subsequent wet decompaction.…”

Section: Preform Compaction During Resin Injectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…7 [5,16,[20][21][22]30]. This effect is caused by the compressibility of the preform in conjunction with the (1), (7) and (11) in order to calculate the locally applied compaction pressures p c, i and p c, f during resin injection:…”

Section: Preform Compaction During Resin Injectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A methodology for determining preform compaction in bladder-assisted resin transfer molding with elastomeric bladders for tubular composite parts

2018

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A common approach for the manufacturing of hollow composite parts based on textile reinforcement materials is the utilization of bladder-assisted resin transfer molding (BARTM). Here, the process-induced compaction of the preform is a decisive factor in the injection stage as it significantly influences filling times and part qualities. However, the use of expandable elastomeric bladders impedes the determination of local compaction pressures and thicknesses of compliant preforms during BARTM. This paper therefore presents an efficient methodology for evaluating the compaction state of tubular fabrics during preform compaction and subsequent resin injection by considering the membrane stiffness of an elastomeric bladder as well as the compressibility of the textile preform. First, different process models are developed to describe preform compaction based on single-point and full preform compaction data. The acquisition of exemplary model data for bladder expansion and preform compaction is accomplished through experimental methods. A specifically developed test rig comprising optical measurement techniques is used to directly characterize the radial expansion behavior of tubular silicone rubber bladders. The compaction behavior of single-and multi-layered braided preforms is evaluated by means of dry compression experiments. The resulting measurement data is used to create an integral model-based process window for combined bladder expansion and preform compaction. Lastly, a prediction of relevant local compaction pressures and preform thicknesses is conducted for an exemplary BARTM process.

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Analysis of pressure profile and flow progression in the vacuum infusion process

Cited by 33 publications

References 10 publications

Fabric compaction and infiltration during vacuum-assisted resin infusion with and without distribution medium

Fabric compaction and infiltration during vacuum-assisted resin infusion with and without distribution medium

A level set approach for the analysis of flow and compaction during resin infusion in composite materials

A methodology for determining preform compaction in bladder-assisted resin transfer molding with elastomeric bladders for tubular composite parts

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