Measurement and modelling of dynamic fluid saturation in carbon reinforcements

We propose a methodology to monitor the progressive saturation of a non-translucent unidirectional carbon fabric stack through its thickness by means of X-ray radiography and extract the dynamic saturation curves using image analysis. Four constant flow rate injections with increasing flow speed were carried out. These were simulated by a...

Effect of wettability and textile architecture on fluid displacement and pore formation during infiltration of carbon fibrous preforms

We seek to address how air entrapment mechanisms during infiltration are influenced by the wetting characteristics of the fluid and the pore network formed by the reinforcement. To this end, we evaluated the behavior of two model fluids with different surface tensions, infiltrating three carbon fiber reinforcements, by means of X-ray...

Thermal management in radical induced cationic frontal polymerisation for optimised processing of fibre reinforced polymers

Radical induced cationic frontal polymerisation (RICFP) is considered a promising low energy method for processing of fibre reinforced polymers (FRPs). Optimisation of the local heat balance between reinforcement, epoxy resin and the surrounding mould is required to pave the way for its adaptation to an industrial processing method for high...

Debonding-on-demand Fe₃O₄-epoxy adhesively bonded dissimilar joints via electromagnetic induction heating

We investigated the debonding on-demand (DoD) of adhesively bonded hybrid dissimilar joints by applying electromagnetic induction heating to the joint overlap section, wherein the epoxy resin is reinforced with iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) particles. Ti-6Al-4 V adherends were bonded with CFRP or GFRP adherends using neat/modified...

Editorial: ECCM Research Topic on advanced manufacturing of composites

Community Masks – from an Emergency Solution to an Innovation Booster for the Textile Industry

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in shortages of personal protective equipment and medical devices in the initial phase. Agile small and medium-sized enterprises from regional textile industries reacted quickly. They delivered alternative products such as textile-based community masks in collaboration with industrial partners and research...

A new virtual fiber modeling approach to predict the kinematic and mechanical behavior of through-thickness fabric compression

We propose a new modeling strategy based on hybrid elements for virtual fiber modeling (also known as the digital element method) to predict both kinematics as well as mechanics of woven fabrics. In virtual fiber modeling, yarns are modeled consisting of a number of discrete fibers. We show that through the development of a modeling strategy...

Dual-scale visualization of resin flow for liquid composite molding processes

Visualization of resin flow progression through fibrous preforms is often sought to elucidate flow patterns and validate models for filling prediction for liquid composite molding processes. Here, conventional X-ray radiography is compared to X-ray phase contrast technique to image in-situ constant flow rate impregnation of a non-translucent...

Processing of Fibre Reinforced Polymers by Controlled Radical Induced Cationic Frontal Polymerisation

Radical Induced Cationic Frontal Polymerisation (RICFP) has recently been proposed as a promising strategy for processing of epoxide carbon fibre reinforced polymers. Control of the local heat balance is crucial towards the production of industrial-quality composites, which is typically achieved via controlling the heat generation. In this work...

Development and characterization of hybrid thin-ply composite materials

Thin-ply composites are recognized as a key solution for the manufacturing of high-performance composite structures due to the unique mechanical properties and the increased design versatility that they offer. They are obtained with state-of-the-art fiber spreading methods where high-count (6-24K filaments) tows of technical fibers (carbon,...

A life cycle analysis of novel lightweight composite processes: Reducing the environmental footprint of automotive structures

In this study, three novel thermoplastic impregnation processes were analyzed towards automotive applications. The first process is thermoplastic compression resin transfer molding in which a glass fiber mat is impregnated in through thickness by a thermoplastic polymer. The second process is a melt-thermoplastic Resin Transfer Molding (RTM)...

Deep learning accelerated prediction of the permeability of fibrous microstructures

Permeability of fibrous microstructures is a key material property for predicting the mold fill times and resin flow path during composite manufacturing. In this work, we report an efficient approach to predict the permeability of 3D microstructures from deep learning based permeability predictions of 2D cross-sections combined via a circuit...

Deep learning based prediction of fibrous microstructure permeability

Knowledge of permeability of fibrous microstructures is crucial for predicting the mold fill times and resin flow path in composite manufacturing. Herein we report a method to rapidly predict the permeability of 3D fibrous microstructures. Our method relies on predicting the permeability of 2D cross-sections via deep neural networks and...

Kinematic and mechanical response of dry woven fabrics in through-thickness compression: Virtual fiber modeling with mesh overlay technique and experimental validation

The through-thickness compressive behavior of fabric reinforcements is crucial in liquid composite molding manufacturing processes. Predictive simulations of the compressive response are thus necessary to enable a virtual processing workflow. These are complex however, as the compressive behavior of the reinforcement fabrics is non-linear....