Processing Engineering of Polymer Matrix Composites Using Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion Process

Abstract

Composite material, such as fibre reinforeed plastics and sandwich panels, have considerable potencial for use in the next generation of transport structures. They are lightweight, durable, and readily moulded to shape. However, there are alsou additional complexities associated with the use of composities, particularly in terms of design andmanufacture. These complexities, together with issues of cost, are corrently limiting their adoption by the transport sectors. The selection of the manufacturing process for a composite component will normally depent upon the nature of part and the required production volumes. We try to presenvacuum assisted resin infusion process, suiTable for low-medium production volumes (less than 500 parts per year). Vacuum infusion is well suited to large parts (greater than 1m) with intermediate fibre content (less than 35 % by volume). As a reference product was selected overhead - side panel of train cabin designed like a sandwich construction with suiTable foam or honeycomb core. Our experimental results described vacuum infusion process like actual variant to produce designed products to transport industry, with cheaper costs to mould a part with a complex shape in composites than it is to fabricate it form metals.