Resin Impregnation Behavior in Processing of Unidirectional Carbon Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites

In order to fabricate composite components more rapidly, a micro-braiding technique has been proposed and investigated. In the present study, a simple model is proposed to predict resin impregnation process based on Darcy’s law and the continuity equation. Bending modulus was also modeled considering the difference between tensile and compressive moduli of a carbon fiber and resin impregnation. To confirm the validity of the models, carbon fiber reinforced polypropylene composites were molded under various molding conditions. Cross-sectional observation results indicated that, by using the model proposed, it was possible to predict resin impregnation. Four-point bending tests were also conducted on the composites. It is confirmed that bending moduli were well predicted based on the proposed model.