Numerical anlysis of the vacuum infusion process for laminated composites with different fiber orientations.

Abstract

The vacuum infusion (VI) is a process usually applied to manufacture large structures of composite materials, such as wind turbine blades. Present work analyzes the macroscopic resin ow through a laminate of fiberglass plies with different orientations, during the filling stage of the VI process to manufacture two different pieces. The pressure inside the mold, velocity vectors and the resin inlet mass flow are studied through a 3D numerical modeling under non-steady conditions validated experimentally. The numerical model simulates each ply of the laminate like an individual porous media and takes into account the stacking sequence of the laminate. The influence of the permeability values of the distribution media and the fiberglass laminate on the evolution of resin infusion is analyzed. The numerical model reproduces the effects of the stacking sequence and race-tracking on the resin flow front.