Abstract
Binders, or tackifiers, have become widespread in the production of new composite materials by liquid composite molding (LCM) techniques due to their ability to stabilize preforms during laying-up and impregnation, as well as to improve fracture toughness of the obtained composites, which is very important in aviation, automotive, ship manufacturing, etc. Furthermore, they can be used in modern methods of automatic laying of dry fibers into preforms, which significantly reduces the labor cost of the manufacturing process. In this article, we review the existing research from the 1960s of the 20th century to the present days in the field of creation and properties of binders used to bond various layers of preforms in the manufacturing of composite materials by LCM methods to summarize and synthesize knowledge on these issues. Different binders based on epoxy, polyester, and a number of other resins compatible with the corresponding polymer matrices are considered in the article. The influence of binders on the preforming process, various properties of obtained preforms, including compaction, stability, and permeability, as well as the main characteristics of composite materials obtained by various LCM methods and the advantages and disadvantages of this technology have been also highlighted.
Highlights
Since the 1970s, the use of composite materials, especially fiber-reinforced polymer composites (FRPC), has become increasingly widespread in various industrial sectors, such as aerospace, automotive, energy, or sports industries
It should be noted that sometimes VARTM is distinguished as a process in which additional pressure supported by vacuum is used for the injection, while VARI is distinguished as a process in which resin infusion is driven only by vacuum
The manufactured textile-reinforced pCBT composites with 2 wt.% of binder showed a significantly increased flexural strain at break from 1.59% to 2.75% and flexural strength from 420 MPa to 711 MPa, without impairing other mechanical properties such as flexural modulus, compared to the composites produced without binder
Summary
Since the 1970s, the use of composite materials, especially fiber-reinforced polymer composites (FRPC), has become increasingly widespread in various industrial sectors, such as aerospace, automotive, energy, or sports industries. There are severe restrictions on the curvature of the obtained parts In consequence of this several new methods of producing composites were developed, and the leading methods of reducing costs have become liquid composite molding (LCM) techniques such as resin transfer molding (RTM, Figure 1) or vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM, Figure 2), known as resin infusion (or sometimes vacuum-assisted resin infusion, VARI). The essence of these processes is the impregnation of a preform, made of dry fillers and laid out in the shape of the product, with a liquid matrix under the force of pressure (RTM) or with the help of vacuum, i.e., differences between ambient pressure and vacuum pressure (VARTM).
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