Effect of CaCO3 Content in Resin Transfer Molding Process

Abstract

Composite material can be defined as a combination of two or more materials on a macroscale to form a useful material, often showing properties that none of the individual independent components shows. Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) is one of the most widely known composite manufacturing technique of the liquid molding family, being extensively studied and used to obtain advanced composite materials comprised of fibers embedded in a thermoset polymer matrix. This technique consists in injecting a resin pre-catalysed thermosetting in a closed mold containing a dry fiber preform, where the resin is impregnated. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect caused by the use of CaCO3filled resin on the characteristics of the RTM process. Several experiments were conducted using glass fiber mat and polyester resin molded in a RTM system with cavity dimensions of 320 x 150 x 3.6 mm, at room temperature, and different CaCO3content (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40% in weight). The results show that the use of filled resin with CaCO3influences the resin viscosity and the porous media permeability, making it difficult to fill the porous media during the molding process, however it is possible to make composite with a good quality and low cost.