In VaRTM (Vacuum assisted Resin Transfer Molding), the resin impregnation of fiber bundles significantly influences the quality of molded products. Efforts have been made to enhance the impregnation state of fiber bundles by mechanical vibration. In our previous research, high-intensity ultrasonic vibration is applied to the VaRTM mold, and its effect on resin flow and impregnation is confirmed. In this study, the mechanical properties changes of VaRTM molded plates due to ultrasonic vibration is investigated. Although there are no significant differences in visual observation of the molded plates, microscopic observation revealed the decrease of unimpregnated fibers in the plate with ultrasonic vibration. It was also found that tensile strength could be improved by application of ultrasonic vibration during the resin filling process.
KAWABATA et al. (Wed,) studied this question.