HAMIDI, Y: Void Morphology in Resin Transfer Molded Composit

Due to its versatility and low cost, Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) has been a popular method for manufacturing near-net-shape, geometrically complex, composite parts. However, RTM composites usually suffer from the formation of flow induced defects such as voids and dry regions, which limits their usage to structural or semi-structural parts. Lowering or totally eliminating voids in RTM composites involves understanding void morphology in the molded parts. Detailed knowledge of the size, shape, and spatial distribution of these voids can be used to quantitatively model and predict molded composites properties and the performance via finite element analysis or other analytical methods. Detrimental effects of voids on the structural integrity of molded parts are well established. In contrast, knowledge of detailed spatial and morphological void distribution within a molded composite is very limited. In this book, and in addition to proposing post-fill pressure as an effective void removal technique, we investigate the effects of fiber and nanoclay content on void morphology in RTM composites.