Fabric compaction and infiltration during vacuum-assisted resin infusion with and without distribution medium

Vacuum infusion experiments with and without distribution medium were carried out in woven E-glass fabric preforms. The experimental set-up was carefully designed to obtain a unidimensional in-plane flow between the inlet and outlet gate, which was combined with through-the-thickness infiltration in the tests carried out with a distribution medium. The variation of the fabric thickness during the infusion experiments was measured by means of digital image correlation, whereas the fluid pressure along the strip was obtained by means of pressure gages. Finally, the in-plane fabric permeability as a function of the fiber volume fraction and the fabric compactability were measured by means of independent tests. The experimental results provided a very detailed picture of the interaction between the fluid infiltration mechanisms and the preform deformation during in-plane and through-the-thickness flow, which is very useful to understand the complex interaction between permeability and compaction during infiltration.