Effects of surface modification on the resin-transfer moulding (RTM) of glass-fibre/unsaturated-polyester composites

  • G. W. Lee
  • , N. J. Lee
  • , J. Jang
  • , K. J. Lee
  • , J. D. Nam

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

57 Scopus citations

Abstract

The effects of glass fibre surface modification on the flow characteristics of unsaturated polyester (UPE) resin were investigated in the resin-transfer moulding (RTM) process. γ-Methacryloxypropyl trimethoxy silane (γ-MPS) was used as a glass fibre surface modifier. It was found that surface energy of glass fibre was decreased by γ-MPS treatment by advancing contact-angle measurement. Unsteady state permeability of glass fabric preforms was measured according to Darcy's law. The apparent permeability of γ-MPS-treated glass fabric performs was slightly lower than that of untreated fabric performs because of the macro/micro flow induced by capillary action. The void contents and the flexural properties of the cured glass-fibre/UPE composites were estimated and morphological study of the glass-fibre/UPE composites was also performed by SEM. When the fibre surface was treated with γ-MPS, the void content and the flexural properties of the glass-fibre/UPE composites were different in different regions of the mould cavity.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)9-16
Number of pages8
JournalComposites Science and Technology
Volume62
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2002

Keywords

  • Permeability
  • Resin transfer moulding
  • Surface modification
  • Void content
  • Wettability

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