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Vacuum-assisted resin infusion is widely used for manufacturing large composite structures. Perforated release films, employed to facilitate distribution media removal, constrain resin flow to discrete entry points, creating converging flow fronts in the laminate and a risk of voids or dry spots. This study develops a spacing criterion that defines the maximum perforation spacing as a function of laminate thickness and fabric permeability. The criterion is designed to balance uniform resin distribution during infusion with the ease of release film removal after curing. The spacing criterion was investigated experimentally using three perforation patterns for the infusion of unidirectional non-crimp fabric layups. Performance was assessed through observations of the wetting patterns during infusion, and visual inspection of defects and optical microscopy on the cured laminates. Compliance with the spacing criterion ensured uniform flow front merging and minimal intra-tow voids, while violations led to increased void density and clustering near the inlets. An additional observation revealed an inverse correlation between perforation density and fibre volume fraction, highlighting a trade-off between flow performance and fibre content in the design of perforated release films, and confirming the practical value of the proposed criterion.
Laborderie et al. (Mon,) studied this question.