Liquid composite molding has been developed as a high-speed process for manufacturing automotive lightweight parts using new equipment that applies a high pressure for mixing and injection. One of the technical issues is the deformation of fiber preform during the process, which causes defects in the size, mechanical properties and appearance of the final products. In this study, two types of deformation in unidirectional fiber preform during the mold filling process are investigated, which are rigid body deformation and local deformation. Three important forces, namely friction, in-mold stiffness of fiber preform and resin flow, are measured to investigate the mechanism of the fiber deformation. The magnitude of the forces was compared at an instant, which influenced the types of fiber deformation. The effects of the orientation angle and the volume fraction of fiber preform and flow rate were investigated to identify controllable factors to prevent undesired deformation during the process.
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