Permeability estimation in resin transfer molding

This paper presents an adaptive algorithm for estimating the permeability of the fiber preform in resin transfer molding. The algorithm is developed and tested by using simulated as well as real experimental data. The estimation can be done on-line or off-line as long as a time history of the injection flowrate and pressure is available. The results show that the estimation algorithm gives accurate mean permeability values over the length of the mold, and is able to reflect spatial variations of the permeability.