A new method to determine fiber transverse permeability

Improving manufacturing technology is one of the greatest challenges for the resin transfer molding (RTM) process. Permeability parameters that include in-plane and transverse permeability are important in simulation codes. Especially, through-thickness permeability is a critical parameter in the optimization of complex shaped and thick-sectioned composites. This research work presents a new method based on radial technology to determine transverse permeability. A key difference when compared to other methods is the layout of reinforcement placement. The fabric is wound and placed on the mold. The fluid flows radially into the reinforcement along the through-thickness direction. The new method avoids race-tracking, and it is easy to view the flow front. The measurement of through-thickness permeability is translated into an in-plane measurement of radial technique. The through-thickness permeability for woven fabric tape and fiberglass roving is measured. The experiment shows that the width of the sample has no significant influence on transverse permeability.