The Effect of Fiber Preform on the Mold Filling Stage of Resin Transfer Molding

Abstract

Abstract-Fiber orientation is an important factor affecting the filling process of resin transfer molding process. In this paper, a 2-D geometry model was designed for the purpose of finding the flow behavior of the resin in the mold filling stage. The case of constant injection rate was studied in the designed model. Two different conditions of whether the mold cavity has fiber preform or not were studied. The results indicated that fiber preform will increase the injection pressure a lot. Three different cases about permeability have also been studied. Compared with isotropic fiber preform, the anisotropic preform results in inadequate filling in the transverse direction.