EFFECT OF DISTRIBUTION MEDIUM ON RESIN FLOW BEHAVIOR IN VACUUM INFUSION MOLDING PROCESS

摘要

The permeability of the distribution medium (DM), the fiber preform and the assembly were measured to study their relations. And the effects of DM on resin flow behavior were studied through a series of visualization flow experiments. The results showed the average permeability of DM was 10~100 times as that of the glass fiber preforms. The DM when as a surface layer or a middle layer can greatly speed up the resin flow and reduce the mold filling time. Distance difference of the flow front position between the top and bottom increased linearly with the thickness of the fiber preform, so did the difference of filling time. The mold filling time changed linearly with the scale of the DM in VIMP.