Abstract
This review considers the influence of resin-rich volumes (RRV) on the static and dynamic mechanical and physical behaviour of fibre-reinforced composites. The formation, shape and size, and measurement of RRV in composites, depending upon different fabric architectures and manufacturing processes, is discussed. The majority of studies show a negative effect of RRV on the mechanical behaviour of composite materials. The main factors that cause RRV are (a) the clustering of fibres as bundles in textiles, (b) the stacking sequence, (c) the consolidation characteristics of the reinforcement, (d) the resin flow characteristics as a function of temperature, and (e) the composite manufacturing process and cure cycle. RRV are stress concentrations that lead to a disproportionate decrease in composite strength. Those who are considering moving from autoclave consolidation to out-of-autoclave (OOA) processes should be cautious of the potential effects of this change.
Highlights
Materials and Structures (MAST) Research Group, School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics (SECaM), Reynolds Building, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK; Electromechanical Engineering Department, University of Samarra, Samarra 34010, Salah al-Deen, Iraq
The literature clearly indicates that consolidation increases fibre volume fraction and reduces the size of resin-rich volumes (RRV)
Vacuum bag only seam laying in the image plane
Summary
Recent decades have seen increasingly rapid advances in the field of fibre-reinforced composites. For any given reinforcement fabric, the achievable fibre volume fraction will decrease with the change from autoclave pressure (typically 5–7 bar) to a vacuum-only (
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