Notes on the Modeling of Preform Compaction: I -Micromechanics at the Fiber Bundle Level

Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) can be described as a two step process: fiber preforming followed by resin infusion and cure. In the first stage, the fabric form making up the preform element is placed in the tool and is compacted due to the pressure from tool closure. During this process, the microstructure, and the resultant properties, change considerably since compaction flattents the weft yarn bundles from the initial configuration into flat ellipsoids of higher aspect ratio, while simultaneously reorienting and flattening the bundles in the warp direction. The movement also results in nesting and inter-layer packing yielding a higher localized fiber volume fraction.

An aspect unique to RTM and other allied resin infusion processes is the compaction of fibers in the dry (unlubricated) form. This gives rise to rather unique behavior at the fiber tow level, which in turn affects the compaction of the fabric form itself. It is thus essential that any model constructed for the specific purpose of investigating the compaction stage in RTM (or allied processes that involve the compaction of a dry preform) be able to reflect that the tow is dry, usually untwisted and when compressed in bulk it has frictional resistance to the shear mode of deformation. In this paper we focus on the possible tow behavior, rather than the behavior of the fabric structure, with the motivation being that of developing a simple, yet comprehensive model at that level which can then be intregrated into a fabric level model at a later stage.