Experimental and numerical analysis of flow behavior in the FASTRAC liquid composite manufacturing process

The success of resin infusion during liquid composite processing depends on several factors; including the complete impregnation of the dry performs, the processing conditions, and the tooling used during processing. New process developments based on the Fast Remotely Actuated Channels (FASTRAC) process aid the infusion with the creation of preferential resin flow paths using a non-contact tooling. Experiments to understand and study the infusion behavior with the presence of the FASTRAC non-contacting tooling have been performed, and compared with vacuum-assisted processes without such tooling. Experimental studies indicate that the infusion time with FASTRAC channel configurations is significantly less despite the additional volume regions to be infused during processing. The use of a non-contacting interchangeable tool, the improved infusion behavior, and the significant reduction in the infusion time provide significant advantages for processing advanced composite systems, including the potential to use high viscosity resin systems, and process automation. The process simulation models of the experimental configurations based on the thin shell model configurations have been compared with experimental observations. Studies indicate that the process simulation models and approaches employed clearly emulate the infusion behavior seen when the channels are present, validating the modeling strategies employed. Similar simulation approaches will thus be effective to study and understand various FASTRAC tooling configurations while processing complex composite structures. Polym. Compos. 25:384–396, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.