Abstract

In this work, experiments of RTM processes have been carried out. The composite manufacturing have been visualized using Synchrotron X-ray Computed Tomography (S-XCT) in the Swiss Light Source (SLS) facilities (Villigen, Switzerland).  The main goal of these tests is to study the behaviour of the resin in a porous medium such as a dry fibre fabrics at different capillary numbers, i.e. resin velocity. According to the theory, the capillary number of a process is an indicator that shows whether the resin flows preferably the fibre bundles or the channels between the bundles and, therefore, where the voids are mainly generated.  To study this relation, a characterized (viscosity, surface tension and contact angle) epoxy resin has been injected into a closed mould containing six layers of dry E glass fibres at constant and controlled flow using a commercial syringe pump. Due to the high resolution and the low acquisition time of the tomograms, the movement of resin between and within the bundles, the void formation and the void transport have been captured in the images. In this article, it is shown the effect on these phenomena depending on the resin velocity.