Numerical study of the vacuum infusion process for laminated composites with different fiber orientations

The vacuum infusion is a process usually applied to manufacture large structures of composite materials, such as wind turbine blades. This work analyzes the macroscopic resin flow through a laminate of fiberglass plies with different orientations, during the filling stage of the vacuum infusion process to manufacture two different pieces. The pressure inside the mold, velocity vectors, and the resin inlet mass flow are studied through a three-dimensional numerical modeling under non-steady conditions validated experimentally. The numerical model simulates each ply of the laminate like an individual porous media and takes into account the stacking sequence of the laminate. The influence of the permeability values of the distribution media and of the fiberglass laminate on the evolution of resin infusion is analyzed. The numerical model reproduces the effects of the stacking sequence and race tracking on the resin flow front.