Processing and mechanical properties of bi-directional preforms for liquid composite moulding

The design and manufacture of fibre preforms for structural parts remains the major technical challenge in liquid composite moulding processes such as resin transfer moulding and structural reaction injection moulding. This paper sets out to identify new methods for preform design based upon fibre architecture in 2.5-dimensional preforms via a drape analysis. The predicted fibre geometry is related to models for permeability and elastic properties to generate property distributions over the part. These may then be used within finite element analyses to predict mould filling and structural performance. Experimental results are presented which include fibre distribution, in-plane permeability, elastic properties and structural tests. The integration of the stages within a design framework is discussed.