Effect of Gravity on Resin Flow Behavior by VARI Process

2012 ◽  
Vol 557-559 ◽  
pp. 1471-1474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Hui Zhao ◽  
Guang Cheng Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Mold Filling ◽  
Resin Flow ◽  
Time Increase ◽  
Molding Process ◽  
Resin Infusion ◽  
Absolute Value ◽  
Filling Time ◽  
Sandwich Materials ◽  
Flow Experiments

The resin flow behavior in vacuum assisted resin infusion molding process (VARI) of foam sandwich materials was studied through visualization flow experiments. The experimental results show: Gravity of resin makes the mold filling time increase when θ changes from 0° to 90°, and mold filling time lengthens with the increase of θ; gravity shortens the filling time when θ changes from 0° to -90°, and mold filling time decreases with the increase of the absolute value of θ.

scholarly journals COMPUTATIONAL MODELING OF RTM AND LRTM PROCESSES APPLIED TO COMPLEX GEOMETRIES

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 93 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Da S. Porto ◽  
M. Letzow ◽  
E. D. Dos Santos ◽  
S. C. Amico ◽  
J. A. Souza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Porous Medium ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Resin Transfer Molding ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Complex Geometries ◽  
Resin Flow ◽  
Transfer Molding ◽  
Rtm Process ◽  
General Terms ◽  
Filling Time

Light Resin Transfer Molding (LRTM) is a variation of the conventional manufacturing process known as Resin Transfer Molding (RTM). In general terms, these manufacturing processes consist of a closed mould with a preplaced fibrous preform through which a polymeric resin is injected, filling the mold completely, producing parts with complex geometries (in general) and good finish. Those processes differ, among other aspects, in the way that injection occurs. In the RTM process the resin is injected through discrete points whereas in LRTM it is injected into an empty channel (with no porous medium) which surrounds the entire mold perimeter. There are several numerical studies involving the RTM process but LRTM has not been explored enough by the scientific community. Based on that, this work proposes a numerical model developed in the FLUENT package to study the resin flow behavior in the LRTM process. Darcy’s law and Volume of Fluid method (VOF) are used to treat the interaction between air and resin during the flow in the porous medium, i.e. the mold filling problem. Moreover, two three-dimensional geometries were numerically simulated considering the RTM and LRTM processes. It was possible to note the huge differences about resin flow behavior and filling time between these processes to manufacture the same parts.

scholarly journals Numerical and experimental analyses of resin infusion manufacturing processes of composite materials

2011 ◽  
Vol 46 (13) ◽  
pp. 1617-1631 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Wang ◽  
S Drapier ◽  
J Molimard ◽  
A Vautrin ◽  
JC Minni
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Model ◽  
Fiber Volume Fraction ◽  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Resin Flow ◽  
Fiber Volume ◽  
Resin Infusion ◽  
Filling Time ◽  
Complex Structural ◽  
Structural Parts ◽  
Liquid Resin Infusion

Liquid resin infusion (LRI) processes are promising manufacturing routes to produce large, thick, or complex structural parts. They are based on the resin flow induced, across its thickness, by a pressure applied onto a preform/resin stacking. However, both thickness and fiber volume fraction of the final piece are not well controlled since they result from complex mechanisms which drive the transient mechanical equilibrium leading to the final geometrical configuration. In order to optimize both design and manufacturing parameters, but also to monitor the LRI process, an isothermal numerical model has been developed which describes the mechanical interaction between the deformations of the porous medium and the resin flow during infusion. 1 , 2 With this numerical model, it is possible to investigate the LRI process of classical industrial part shapes. To validate the numerical model, first in 2D, and to improve the knowledge of the LRI process, this study details a comparison between numerical simulations and an experimental study of a plate infusion test carried out by LRI process under industrial conditions. From the numerical prediction, the filling time, the resin mass and the thickness of the preform can be determined. On another hand, the resin flow and the preform response can be monitored by experimental methods during the filling stage. One key issue of this research study is to highlight the changes in major process parameters during the resin infusion stage, such as the temperature of the preform and resin, and the variations of both thickness and fiber volume fraction of the preform. Moreover, this numerical/experimental approach is the best way to improve our knowledge on the resin infusion processes, and finally, to develop simulation tools for the design of advanced composite parts.

scholarly journals A Semi-Analytical Model to Predict Infusion Time and Reinforcement Thickness in VARTM and SCRIMP Processes

Polymers ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felice Rubino ◽  
Pierpaolo Carlone
Keyword(s):  
Resin Transfer Molding ◽  
Resin Flow ◽  
Liquid Composite Molding ◽  
Molding Process ◽  
Transfer Molding ◽  
Deformable Porous Media ◽  
Filling Time ◽  
Composite Molding ◽  
Fabric Deformation ◽  
Porosity And Permeability

In liquid composite molding processes, such as resin transfer molding (RTM) and vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM), the resin is drawn through fiber preforms in a closed mold by an induced pressure gradient. Unlike the RTM, where a rigid mold is employed, in VARTM, a flexible bag is commonly used as the upper-half mold. In this case, fabric deformation can take place during the impregnation process as the resin pressure inside the preform changes, resulting in continuous variations of reinforcement thickness, porosity, and permeability. The proper approach to simulate the resin flow, therefore, requires coupling deformation and pressure field making the process modeling more complex and computationally demanding. The present work proposes an efficient methodology to add the effects of the preform compaction on the resin flow when a deformable porous media is considered. The developed methodology was also applied in the case of Seeman’s Composite Resin Infusion Molding Process (SCRIMP). Numerical outcomes highlighted that preform compaction significantly affects the resin flow and the filling time. In particular, the more compliant the preform, the more time is required to complete the impregnation. On the other hand, in the case of SCRIMP, the results pointed out that the resin flow is mainly ruled by the high permeability network.

Effects of Weirs on the Resin Transfer Molding Process

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiran M. D’Silva ◽  
Su-Seng Pang ◽  
Kurt C. Schulz
Keyword(s):  
Glass Fibers ◽  
Resin Transfer Molding ◽  
Mold Filling ◽  
Laminated Plates ◽  
Molding Process ◽  
Outlet Port ◽  
Transfer Molding ◽  
Inlet Port ◽  
Rtm Process ◽  
Filling Time

Abstract Low mold filling time and improper fiber wetting are the main problems faced by the manufacturers applying the Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) process. The objective of this work was to minimize these problems and to study the effect of weirs on the RTM process. A mold was designed such that the lower mold plate contains two weirs, one at the resin inlet port and the other at the outlet port. The purpose of adding the weirs is to provide a continuous inlet stream near the resin inlet port and to cause backpressure near the outlet port to induce complete mold filling. Laminated plates were prepared using glass fibers and epoxy resin (combination of EPON resin-862 and curing agent W). The test parameters investigated, such as void contents, dry spots and mold filling time, were compared with those of samples that were prepared without the use of weirs. It was found that the presence of weirs resulted in significant elimination of dry spots, minimization of void contents and a reduction in mold filling time. As a result, the cost required to manufacture composite parts can be reduced by the use of weirs. In addition to the experimental investigation, a computer simulation (using LCMFLOT software) of resin flow inside the mold cavity was conducted. Many simulations were run in order to optimize the height and shape of the weir. Rectangular weirs of height 2.54 mm showed minimum mold fill time. It was found that the results obtained from the experimental work and flow simulations are in good agreement. Based on this work, it is evident that complex parts can be produced in less cycle time if weirs are positioned at appropriate locations.

scholarly journals Comparison of in-plane resin transfer molding and vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding ‘effective’ permeabilities based on mold filling experiments and simulations

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 31-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mert Hancioglu ◽  
E Murat Sozer ◽  
Suresh G Advani
Keyword(s):  
Effective Permeability ◽  
Thickness Distribution ◽  
Resin Transfer Molding ◽  
Mold Filling ◽  
Flow Patterns ◽  
Resin Flow ◽  
Liquid Composite Molding ◽  
Molding Process ◽  
Coupled Models ◽  
Transfer Molding

Resin transfer molding and vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding are two of the most commonly used liquid composite molding processes. For resin transfer molding, mold filling simulations can predict the resin flow patterns and location of voids and dry spots which has proven useful in designing the mold and injection locations for composite parts. To simulate vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding, even though coupled models are successful in predicting flow patterns and thickness distribution, the input requires fabric compaction characterization in addition to permeability characterization. Moreover, due to the coupled nature of flow and fabric compaction, the simulation is computationally expensive precluding the possibility to optimize the flow design for reliable production. In this work, we present an alternative approach to characterize and use an “effective” permeability in the resin transfer molding solver to simulate resin flow in vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding. This decoupled method is very efficient and provides reasonable results. The deviations in mold filling times between experiments and simulations for the resin transfer molding process with E-glass CSM and carbon 5HS were 4.7% and 1.0%, respectively, while for the vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding case using “effective permeability value” with E-glass CSM and carbon 5HS fabrics were 11.1% and 12.3%, respectively, which validates the approach presented.

A Study on Resin Flow through a Multi-layered Preform in Resin Transfer Molding

2002 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 493-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. Seong ◽  
K Chung ◽  
T. J. Kang ◽  
J. R. Youn
Keyword(s):  
Resin Transfer Molding ◽  
Mold Filling ◽  
Transverse Flow ◽  
Woven Fabrics ◽  
Weighted Averaging ◽  
Resin Flow ◽  
Flow Front ◽  
Transfer Molding ◽  
Filling Time ◽  
Flow Through

In resin transfer molding, mold filling is governed by the flow of resin through a preform which is considered as an anisotropic porous media. The resin flow is usually described by Darcy's law and the permeability tensor must be obtained for filling analysis. When the preform is composed of more than two layers with different in-plane permeability, effective average permeability should be determined for the flow analysis in the mold. The most frequently used averaging scheme is the weighted averaging scheme, but it does not account for the transverse flow between adjacent layers. A new averaging scheme is suggested to predict the effective average permeability of the multi-layered preform, which accounts for the transverse flow effect. When the flow in the mold is unsaturated, the effective average permeability is predicted by using the predicted mold filling time and transverse permeability. The new scheme is verified by measuring the effective permeability of the multi-layered preforms which consist of glass fiber random mats, carbon fiber woven fabrics, aramid fiber woven fabrics. Fluid flow through the preform composed of more than two layers with different in-plane permeability shows different flow fronts between layers. The difference in the flow front advancement is observed with a digital camcorder. The predicted flow front is compared with the experimental results and shows a good agreement. It is expected that the effective average permeability can be used for modeling the resin flow through the multi-layered preform.

Study on Compression Transfer Molding

1995 ◽  
Vol 29 (16) ◽  
pp. 2180-2191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-Bin Young ◽  
Cheng-Wey Chiu
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Fiber Reinforcement ◽  
Mold Filling ◽  
Thickness Direction ◽  
Molding Process ◽  
Transfer Molding ◽  
Rtm Process ◽  
Resin Impregnation ◽  
Filling Time ◽  
Part Dimension

Resin transfer molding (RTM) finishes the resin impregnation and composite fabrication at the same time. It simplifies the process for composites fabrication and has the advantages of automation, low cost, and versatile design of fiber reinforcement. Therefore, the RTM process is widely used in the architecture, automotive, and aerospace industries. However, in the RTM process, resin must flow through the fiber reinforcement in the planar direction, which, in some cases such as fabrications of large panels, may need a long time for the mold filling. If the part dimension is too large or the fiber permeability is too low, the mold filling process may not be able to complete before the resin gels. Therefore, some modification for the RTM process is necessary in order to reduce the mold filling time. In the compression transfer molding, the mold opens a small gap for the resin to fill in between fiber mats and the mold, and then compresses the fiber reinforcement to be impregnated by the resin in the thickness direction. In this way, since resin is forced into the fiber reinforcements in the thickness direction, the damage of the fibers will be minimized. In addition, the mold filling time will be reduced due to the different flow path of the resin inside the mold. This study explored the possibility of using the compression transfer molding process and also identified the key parameters regarding the process.

Effect of ethanol on the mold filling-time and mechanical properties of woven glass fiber reinforced epoxy filled with TiO2 nanoparticles

2020 ◽  
pp. 152808372097134
Author(s):  
Sherif M Youssef ◽  
M Megahed ◽  
Soliman S Ali-Eldin ◽  
MA Agwa
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Composite Laminates ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Mold Filling ◽  
High Viscosity ◽  
Ansys Fluent ◽  
Glass Fiber Reinforced ◽  
Filling Time ◽  
Ethanol Addition ◽  
Woven Glass Fiber

Vacuum resin infusion (VRI) is a promising technique for manufacturing complicated structural laminates. This high viscosity of nanofilled resin increases the filling time and leads to an incomplete mold filling. The mold filling time can be reduced either by making the fiber dimensions smaller than the mold (gaps around the fibers) or by adding ethanol to nanofilled epoxy. However, ethanol addition influences the mechanical properties of composite laminates. In this study, different amounts of ethanol (0.5 wt. % and 1 wt. %) were used as a diluent to both neat epoxy and epoxy filled with (0.25 wt. %) of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles. From results, it was found that ethanol addition saves the time for neat and nanofilled epoxy by 47.1% and 24.1%, respectively. It was found that adding 0.5 wt. % of ethanol to 0.25wt. % of TiO2 nanoparticles (GT0.25E0.5) enhances the tensile and flexural strength by 30.8% and 55.9%, respectively compared with neat specimens. Furthermore, the tensile and flexural moduli increased by 62% and 72.3%, respectively. Furthermore, the mold filling time was investigated experimentally and validated numerically using ANSYS FLUENT software. The mold filling time prediction using ANSYS FLUENT can be used to avoid resin gelation before the incomplete mold filling and thus can be considered a cost-effective methodology. The results showed that the gaps around the fibers reduce the time by 178% without affecting the mechanical properties.

A Theoretical Analysis on Resin Injection/Compression Molding

2007 ◽  
Vol 334-335 ◽  
pp. 209-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akbar Shojaei ◽  
A. Spah
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Solutions ◽  
Mold Filling ◽  
Compression Molding ◽  
Fiber Content ◽  
Flow Front ◽  
Transfer Molding ◽  
Unidirectional Flow ◽  
Resin Injection ◽  
Filling Time ◽  
Injection Compression Molding

In the present investigation, mold filling process of resin injection/compression molding (RI/CM) is compared with resin transfer molding (RTM) for simple mold geometry. To do this, analytical solutions are obtained for RI/CM in unidirectional flow. Based on the analytical solutions, flow front progression and pressure distribution are compared with RTM at different fiber content. The results indicate that the RI/CM reduces the mold filling time significantly, particularly for composite parts with higher fiber content.

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