• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.06c
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• pp.246-250
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• 2001

In resin transfer molding (RTM), resin is forced to flow through the fiber perform of inhomogeneous permeability. This inhomogeneity is responsible for the mismatch of resin velocity within and between the fiber tows. The capillary pressure of the fiber tows exacerbates the spatial variation of the resin velocity. The resulting microscopic perturbations of resin velocity at the flow front allow numerous air voids to form. In this study, a mathematical model was developed to predict the formation and migration of micro-voids during resin transfer molding. A transport equation was employed to account for the migration of voids between fiber tows. Incorporating the proposed model into a resin flow simulator, the volumetric content of micro-voids in the preform could be obtained during the simulation of resin impregnation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society For Composite Materials Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.284-287
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• 2002

During resin transfer molding(RTM) process, in case of thick parts, resin flow and void formation should be modeled three dimensionally even though for parts of small thickness, resin flow and void formation can be modeled two dimensionally. In this study, numerical simulations of three dimensional mold filling and void formation during RTM process.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society For Composite Materials Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.79-82
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• 2003

In case of performing resin transfer molding (RTM), race track effects and non-uniform fiber volume fraction may cause undesirable resin flow pattern and thus result in dry spots, which affect the mechanical properties of the finished parts. In this study, a real time RTM control strategy to reduce these unfavorable effects is proposed. Through numerical simulations and experiments, the validity of the proposed scheme is demonstrated.

• Advanced Composite Materials
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.207-221
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• 2007

The filling process of resin injection/compression molding (I/CM) can be divided into injection and compression phases. During the resin injection the mold is kept only partially closed and thus a gap is present between the reinforcements and the upper mold. The gap results in preferential flow path. After the gap is filled with the resin, the compression action initiates and forces the resin to penetrate into the fiber preform. In the present study, the resin flow in the gap is simplified by using the Stokes approximation, while Darcy's law is used to calculate the flow field in the fiber mats. Results show that most of the injected resins enter into the gap during the injection phase. The resin injection time is extremely short so the duration of the filling process is determined by the final closing action of the mold cavity. Compared with resin transfer molding (RTM), I/CM process can reduce the mold filling time or injection pressure significantly.

• Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.217-224
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• 2006

Rapid flow advancement without void formation is essential in the liquid composite molding (LCM) such as resin transfer molding (RTM) and vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM). A highly permeable layer in multi-layered preform has an important role in improvement of the flow advancement. In this study, a multi-layered preform which consists of three layers is employed. Radial flow experiment is carried out for the multi-layered preform. A new analytic model for advancement of flow front is proposed and effective permeability is defined. The effective permeability for the multi-layered preform is obtained analytically and compared with experimental results. Compaction test is performed to determine the exact fiber volume traction of each layer in the multi-layered preform. Transverse permeability employed in modeling is measured experimentally unlike the previous studies. Accurate prediction of flow advancement is of great use for saving the processing time and enhancing product properties of the final part.

• Advanced Composite Materials
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.135-152
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• 2009

Liquid molding processes, such as resin transfer molding, involve resin flow through a porous medium inside a mold cavity. Numerical analysis of resin flow and mold filling is a very useful means for optimization of the manufacturing process. However, the numerical analysis is quite time consuming and requires a great deal of effort, since a separate numerical calculation is needed for every set of material properties, part size and injection conditions. The efforts can be appreciably reduced if similarity solutions are used instead of repeated numerical calculations. In this study, the similarity relations for pressure, resin velocity and flow front propagation are proposed to correlate another desired case from the already obtained numerical result. In other words, the model gives a correlation of flow induced variables between two different cases. The model was verified by comparing results obtained by the similarity relation and by independent numerical simulation.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.15 no.6 s.87
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• pp.436-440
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• 2006

A rapid tooling (RT) method fur the resin transfer molding (RTM) have been investigated. We fabricated a curved I-beam to verify the method. After creating a three-dimensional CAD model of the beam we fabricated a prototype of the model using a rapid prototyping (RP) machine. A soft mold was made using the prototype by the conventional silicone mold technique. The procedure and method of mold fabrication is described. The mold was cut into several parts to allow easier placement of the fiber preform. We conducted the resin transfer molding process and manufactured a composite beam with the mold. The preform was built by stacking up eight layers of delicately cut carbon fabrics. The fabrics were properly stitched to maintain the shape while placement. The manufactured composites beam was inspected and found well-impregnated. The fiber volume ratio of the fabricated beam was 16.85%.

• 기계와재료
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• v.13 no.2 s.48
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• pp.93-103
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• 2001

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.24-29
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• 2017

In this study, a seat cross member was fabricated by optimizing the resin transfer molding processing of CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics) materials. This seat cross member is used in automotive underbody parts and provides side impact support. The seat cross was manufactured via vacuum resin transfer molding. The process included 1min of resin injection, 8 mins of heating, and 1 min of cooling, for a total molding time of 10mins. Tensile test results showed an average breaking load of 21.50kN, a tensile strength of 404 MPa, and an elastic modulus of 46.2 GPa. As a result, the CFRP seat cross provides the same strength as a similar steel part, but weighs 42% less.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.87-97
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• 2020

In this study, a UV-cured GFRP molding is made using a combination of hand lay-up and resin transfer molding, and its properties are analyzed. The molded plates produced using various vacuum pressures (0 mmHg, -450 mmHg, and -760 mmHg) are examined via a comparison of hand lay-up molding and resin transfer molding. Tests are conducted by processing tensile specimens (ASTM D-5083), flexural test specimens (ASTM D-790), and ILSS test specimens (ASTM D-2344) according to each ASTM standard with a molded plate. Similarly, the UV-cured GFRP molding is compared against GFRP using epoxy. It was confirmed that the mechanical strengths of all the specimens increased when the vacuum pressure was increased and when UV curing was applied. This is believed to be because as the vacuum pressure increases, the pores of the cured specimen are removed, thereby reducing defects, and the bonding force between the glass fiber and the resin is stronger than that of the epoxy resin. It is expected that if resin transfer molding methods and UV-cured resins are used for molding GFRP composites in industry, products with better mechanical properties and faster curing time will be produced.