CONCURRENT METHODS FOR PERMEABILITY MEASUREMENT IN RESIN TRANSFER MOLDING

The numerical simulation of the resin transfer molding process (RTM) r equires knowledge of the physical properties of the fibrous material. In particular, the resistance to the resin now is measured by the perm eability of the preform in the mathematical model of Darcy's law. A co ncurrent method for low-cost permeability estimation is proposed. The method uses a rectangular mold for the numerical determination of the principal permeabilities. The experimental data include a built-in cor relation with Darcy's law and allow an estimation of both experimental and numerical errors. Since the experimental procedure can introduce a significant uncertainty on the estimated permeability, practical con siderations are pointed out and some relevant parameters such as the m inimum Injected length and maximum injection pressure are introduced t o increase the reliability of permeability measurements.