Vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding using tackified fiber preforms

A low cost composite fabrication process-tackified SCRIMP-is described for fabricating aerospace-grade composites based on tackification and vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM). Tackification based on a commercial tackifier (PT 500 from 3M) was used to make the net-shape fiber preform. It was found that tackifier concentration and application conditions play important roles in governing the moldability of tackified fiber preforms. An epoxy resin (PR 500 from 3M) was used in the VARTM process-SCRIMP at high temperatures. Experimental results show that composites with high fiber content (> 60% by volume) can be manufactured at low cost using tackification. Effects of tackification methods on composite dimension control, void content and mechanical properties were investigated and compared in both RTM and SCRIMP.