Co-injection resin transfer molding of vinyl ester and phenolic composites

A novel co-injection resin transfer molding (CIRTM) process has been developed to fabricate multifunctional hybrid composites. In this process, two or more resins can be injected into a single preform to produce a distinct co-cured layered composite structure. The goal of this study was to demonstrate the cost-effective manufacture of composites with improved performance against fire smoke and toxicity (FST) for shipboard structures and military vehicles. The CIRTM process is shown to produce two distinct advantages for fabricating multi-resin composite parts. First, it reduces costs by allowing single-step manufacture of parts with reduced cycle times and secondary operations; second, the co-injection process results in a tougher interface between layers compared with manufacturing the layers separately and then post bonding them together.