A Study of Vacuum Assisted Resin Injection for Molding Hard-To-Reach Locations in the Manufacture of Parts

Abstract

AbstractAn increase in the share of composite materials is due to the possibility of obtaining mechanical properties superior to those of metals. One of the problems of the widespread application of composite materials is difficulties arising when choosing optimal reinforcement schemes and expensive manufacturing technologies. The most effective manufacturing technology is autoclave molding, but its disadvantage is high cost of manufacturing equipment. Therefore, many manufacturers use the vacuum infusion technology: the filler is impregnated with a binder composition, which makes it possible not to limit the duration of stack assembly, which is especially important when manufacturing large-sized and thick-walled products. The disadvantage of this technology is possible insufficient penetration of the binder into the fabric of hard-to-reach elements. This article discusses problems arising in the manufacture of products from the composite materials by the vacuum infusion method. Attention is paid to the problems of molding and impregnation of the leading and trailing edges of the product. The elements carry the base plane for joining two products. High requirements are applied to the geometry, accuracy, and rigidity of these elements.KeywordsVacuum assisted resin injectionCarbon fiberDefectsResin transfer molding