Effect of Carbon Nanofibers on Mold Filling in a Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding System

Abstract

In this article, a new manufacturing method was used to prepare the hybrid composite, wherein carbon nanofibers were sprayed and bonded onto continuous fiber mats instead of pre-mixing them in the polymer resin. The effect of carbon nanofibers on the mold filling characteristics in a vacuum assisted resin transfer molding system was investigated. A simple one-dimensional flow model was used to correlate the permeability and porosity to the mold filling time. It was found that the dispersion and loading of the carbon nanofibers affected the permeability and porosity of the reinforcement system, and hence the mold filling time.

The effect of graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles on the processing of epoxy/glass fiber composites using resin infusion

“…To date, very limited research has been conducted to understand the processability of graphene in large-scale advanced composite manufacturing. Some researchers have addressed carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and CNTs as fillers in polymer matrices using the RI process [30][31][32][33][34]. The effects of nanoparticles on resin infiltration using CNFs and CNTs were also studied during such a composite manufacture [35].…”

“…However, the use of exfoliated graphene nanoparticles as a secondary reinforcement in glass fiber composite laminates has not been covered extensively. There are several methods used to introduce nanoparticles into composite materials, but among which one relatively easy method involves dispersing nanoparticles in the resin [30,[34][35][36][37]. However, the high surface area and aspect ratio of nanoparticles can result in an increase in resin viscosity [35].…”

Vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) in polymer matrix composites

“…39 studied another VARTM based approach to add CNFs into FRP. They pre-bonded the CNFs on the glass fi ber mats with a solvent assisted spray process.…”

Manufacturing and Mechanical Properties of Graphene Coated Glass Fabric and Epoxy Composites

“…There are two primary methods used to introduce nanoparticles into composite materials. One method involves dispersing the nanoparticles in the resin [19][20][21][22][23]. However, the high surface area and aspect ratio of the nanoparticles can result in an increase in resin viscosity [17].…”