Compaction of fiber reinforcements

In resin transfer molding, dry fiber reinforcements are compacted as the mold closes before injection of a curable resin matrix. This paper presents experimental data of compaction pressure as a function of fiber volume fraction. Data are presented for woven roving mats, random fiber mats, loose fiber rovings for pultrusion, and uniaxial or biaxial roving mats. These data are fit to a mathematical model derived in an Appendix. Experimental data are also given for six combinations of reinforcements. We use the compaction model of each constituent layer to predict the average volume fraction assuming that fiber layers do not interact. However, we see that most combinations of reinforcements have fiber volume fractions greater than expected at pressures under 50 psi, indicating a synergistic packing between the layers of different composition.