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Characterization of dual‐scale fiber mats for unsaturated flow in liquid composite molding
Author(s) -
Roy Tonmoy,
Pillai Krishna M.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
polymer composites
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.577
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1548-0569
pISSN - 0272-8397
DOI - 10.1002/pc.20117
Subject(s) - materials science , composite material , composite number , dimensionless quantity , molding (decorative) , inlet , compression molding , flow (mathematics) , fiber , glass fiber , mold , mechanics , geology , physics , geomorphology
Abstract The drooping inlet‐pressure history during 1D filling experiments has been used in the past to detect the onset of the unsaturated flow in certain stitched mats, called dual‐scale mats, during mold‐filling in liquid composite molding. In this study, one such triaxial stitched mat was tested for unsaturated flow and manifests the characteristic inlet‐pressure droop that increases with fiber mat compression. A correlation between the previously proposed dimensionless numbers pore volume ratio (γ) and sink effect index (ψ) and the droop in the inlet pressure history was also sought. By studying the micrographs of the composite samples, γ and ψ were measured for the biaxial and triaxial stitched mats at various states of compression. The observation that the droop in the inlet‐pressure profiles increase with an increase in γ and ψ establishes the two dimensionless numbers, along with the presence of straight channels aligned with the flow direction, as good predictors of the unsaturated flow in the dual‐scale fiber mats. POLYM. COMPOS. 26:756–769, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers