Grooved Core Materials Aid Resin Infusion: Influence on Mechanical Properties

摘要

Closed manufacturing processes have a number of advantages compared with traditional open methods. Closed processes normally produce lighter products due to a higher fiber fraction with a more uniform quality and with greatly reduced emissions. However, some feel the methods available today are too slow and to complex. Using the infusion process with grooved core materials is an innovative, faster and cheaper closed manufacturing process for producing sandwich constructions with fiber composite skins. The infusion method is improved compared to interlaminar or surface infusion by using an optimized fine groove pattern in the core surface to facilitate resin distribution. The infusion method with grooved material has the advantage of being extremely fast, making large structures feasible in one shot. It also makes do without using additional consumables (resin distribution materials, release films, peel-plies, etc.) which makes it more environmentaly suitable and less costly. Surface finish is improved and it is also possible to have both surfaces gel-coated in contrast to surface infusion. Also significant cost saving can be made compared with traditional methods if molds and production equipment are adapted accordingly. The method utilizes an optimized fine groove pattern in the core surface to facilitate resin distribution. The grooves are also often used together with perforations to facilitate resin transfer to the opposite side of the core. A study has been done to evaluate how these grooves and performations might affect the mechanical properties of the sandwich structure. The evaluation is done for mechanical properties including peel strength and damage resistance and also for fatigue performance.