Talk Composites - The Forum for Advanced Composites

Infusing long thin components

http://www.talkcomposites.com/Topic32811.aspx

By Trevor Harris - 5/10/2019 1:36:48 PM

Hello,
               I want to infuse and long thin item, circa 1 metre long and 50mm wide. It will have  a Soric core with layers of carbon 2/2 twill either side. Is best to either  feed resin along one edge, along the centre line from one end, from the middle to both ends or something I have not considered yet?

Trevor
By Trevor Harris - 5/24/2019 7:38:16 AM

MarkMK - 5/23/2019 7:30:31 AM

A break zone is a deliberate gap between the forward edge of the infusion mesh and the outlet port. A gap of between 10 and 20 mm's is usually sufficient between the mesh and another strip of mesh running the width of the part placed under the outlet connector. This acts to slow down the flow of resin in front of the connector to allow for full wetting-out of the furthest reaches of the part before resin starts to flow up the tube and can allow any air in the resin to be evacuated more fully across the part. 

If the area around the outlet port is fully enclosed by resin and the furthest reaches are still infusing, this can make it hard for any air still in the resin to evacuate fully.

As the resin flow can lag behind the areas closest to the inlet port, especially on wider parts, extra strips of mesh can be placed over the main piece at the widest points to help speed things up a little. This can be useful where ambient temperatures a little cooler than normal, especially 

I sometimes make parts of a similar dimension to the one you mentioned and tend to trim the mesh so that there's only enough to cover the first 20 mm's or so in the area closest to the inlet connector, which helps to make sure the parts wet-out fairly evenly



Hello MarkMK,
                            Your post has been a great help in explaining the technicalities of the 'Break Zone'. This I find one of the attractions of composites in that even if the mould is made on a CNC machine, there is still a ' Skilled Craft' element in placing the stack elements to ensure a  correct resin flow in the component.

Trevor