Vacuum Infusion of Low-Cost Aerospce Composites

摘要

This report results from a contract tasking TNO Industrie as follows: A mold system will be designed in which the hydrostatic pressure can be measured in the resin during the vacuum infusion process. Pressure transducers will be mounted in the surface of a flat aluminum plate and data will be digitally recorded. Simple compression tests on dry and impregnated laminate will provide data to relate the pressure gradient (out of plane) to the local laminate thickness. From a combination of the pressure data and the compression data the correction factor on Darcy's Law can empirically be determined. Outputs of the research will be: 1. Empirical quantification of pressure gradient during vacuum infusion and Resin Transfer Molding (RTM); 2. Correction of Darcy's Law; 3. Practical test to measure compressibility of reinforcements and translation of data into above-mentioned correction term.