Abstract
Vacuum assisted resin transfer moulding (VARTM) process is widely used for manufacturing composite products. It is very difficult to manufacture a composite component with small dimension tolerance using VARTM process. In this research paper, carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) flat plates have been manufactured using the VARTM process with a different combination of process parameters. The carbon fiber laminates with different thickness have been manufactured using the VARTM process. The thickness of manufactured components has been measured at different locations using non-contact type 3D scanning techniques. The warpage has been determined for each manufactured components. The compaction pressure has been measured using pressure gauge at a different location during manufacturing. The thickness variation, pressure variation and volume fraction have been determined across the length for each manufactured components for different thickness laminates. The mould filling time has been calculated using the numerical approach in ANSYS Fluent software and the same has been compared with experimental results. The percentage difference between the experimental and numerical approach has been found within 5 %.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
S. K. Mazumdar, “Composites Manufacturing: Materials, Product, and Process Engineering”, CRC Press, 2002.
A. K. Kaw, “Mechanics of Composite Materials”, CRC Press, 2006.
B. Yenilmez, M. Senan, and E. M. Sozer, Compos. Sci. Technol., 69, 1710 (2009).
X. Song, Ph. D. Dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, 2003.
A. Hammami and B. R. Gebart, Polym. Compos., 21, 28 (2000).
D. Yuexin, T. Zhaoyuan, Z. Yan, and S. Jing, Chinese J. Aeronautics, 21, 370 (2008).
D. Modi, M. Johnson, A. Long, and C. Rudd, Compos. Sci. Technol., 69, 1458 (2009).
N. C. Correia, F. Robitaille, A. C. Long, C. D. Rudd, P. Simacek, and S. G. Advani, Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf., 36, 1645 (2005).
C. Arulappan, A. Duraisamy, D. Adhikari, and S. Gururaja, J. Reinf. Plast. Compos., 34, 1 (2015).
B. W. Grimsley, P. Hubert, X. L. Song, R. J. Cano, A. C. Loos, and R. B. Pipes, International SAMPE Technical Conference, 33 (2001).
M. A. Yalcinkaya and E. M. Sozer, J. Reinf. Plast. Compos., 33, 2136 (2014).
C. D. Williams, S. M. Grove, and J. Summerscales, Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf., 29, 111 (1998).
K. D. Tackitt and S. M. Walsh, Mater. Manuf. Process, 20, 607 (2007).
R. Matsuzaki, S. Kobayashi, A. Todoroki, and Y. Mizutani, Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf., 42, 782 (2011).
R. J. Johnson and R. Pitchumani, Compos. Sci. Technol., 67, 669 (2007).
R. Mathur, D. Heider, C. Hoffmann, J. W. Gillespie, S. G. Advani, and B. K. Fink, Polym. Compos., 22, 477 (2001).
R. Chen, C. Dong, Z. Liang, C. Zhang, and B. Wang, Polym. Compos., 25, 146 (2004).
A. Hammami, Polym. Compos., 22, 337 (2001).
D. Bender, J. Schuster, and D. Heider, Compos. Sci. Technol., 66, 2265 (2006).
W. B. Young, K. Han, L. H. Fong, L. J. Lee, and M. J. Liou, Polym. Compos., 12, 391 (1991).
R. Sadeghian, S. Gangireddy, B. Minaie, and K. T. Hsiao, Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf., 37, 1787 (2006).
M. A. Yalcinkaya, B. Caglar, and E. M. Sozer, J. Reinf. Plast. Compos., 36, 491 (2016).
C. K. Huang and S. Y. Yang, Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf., 28, 891 (1997).
J. Summerscales and T. J. Searle, Proc. IMechE Part L: J. Materials: Design and Applications, 219, 45 (2005).
P. Simacek and S. G. Advani, Compos. Sci. Technol., 67, 2757 (2007).
R. Matsuzaki, S. Kobayashi, A. Todoroki, and Y. Mizutani, Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf., 42, 782 (2011).
M. K. Kang, W. I. Lee, and H. T. Hahn, Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf., 32, 1553 (2001).
N. Kuentzer, P. Simacek, S. G. Advani, and S. Walsh, Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf., 38, 802 (2007).
C. Dong, Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf., 37, 1316 (2006).
R. Zeiler, U. Khalid, C. Kuttner, M. Kothmann, D. J. Dijkstra, A. Fery, and V. Altstädt, AIP Conference Proceedings, 1593, 503 (2014). Experimental Study of Parameters in VARTM Process Fibers and Polymers 2020, Vol.21, No.2 391
C. D. Rudd, A. C. Long, P. Mcgeehin, and P. Smith, Polym. Compos., 17, 52 (1996).
P. Simacek and S. G. Advani, Polym. Compos., 25, 355 (2004).
A. Gokce, M. Chohra, S. G. Advani, and S. M. Walsh, Compos. Sci. Technol., 65, 2129 (2005).
J. A. Acheson, P. Simacek, and S. G. Advani, Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf., 35, 159 (2004).
D. B. Shah, K. M. Patel, A. I. Patel, V. Pariyal, and S. J. Joshi, Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf., 115, 134 (2018).
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge to Institute of Technology, Nirma University for financial support as well as provide a facility for performing experiments in entire research work. The authors are also acknowledged to M/s. KR Composites Pvt. Ltd., Surat, India and M/s. Vactech Composites Pvt. Ltd., Vapi, India for providing the consolidation material free of cost.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gajjar, T., Shah, D.B., Joshi, S.J. et al. Experimental Study of Thickness Gradient and Flow Simulation in VARTM Process. Fibers Polym 21, 384–391 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12221-020-9609-1
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12221-020-9609-1