Resin transfer molding of complex textile composite components

摘要

It has been established that composite parts with considerable geometric complexity and close dimensional tolerances can be fabricated with high fiber volume, low void content and a dependable fiber architecture by using the resin transfer molding (RTM) process. This paper addresses the techniques utilized for obtaining a composite box section with 55-58 percent fiber volume using eight plies of a 4-harness carbon fabric with a quasiisotropic stacking se2quence. One of the enabling features of the fabrication procedure was using a tackified fabric to shape a preform that fits into the mold cavity. The mold was heated with hot oil. The matrix, 3M's PR-500 Epoxy, was injected into an evacuated mold using a Graco RTM Injector. Test coupons were cut from the composite boxes to determine various mechanical properties. The properties from sides of the box were compared with those from the bottom of the box. The mechanical properties of the corners (through-the-thickness tensile strength) of the box were also determined. The tensile properties from the box compared favorably with the panel data but compression properties did not. The properties of the sides and the bottom of the box compared favorably. The paper contains the details of the composite box fabrication process as well as the determination of its mechanical properties.