Void Content Analysis of a Polymer Composite Manufactured via Resin Infusion Process

Void formation in composite has a strong influence on mechanical properties. In vacuum infusion process, void may form due to the variations in permeability on a filament and filament bundle scale, outgassing of dissolved gas in the resin, evaporation of volatile components in the resin, shrinkage of the resin and leakage in connections and mould. Voids can be reduced by controlling manufacturing parameters such as vacuum pressure, cure temperature, autoclave pressure, and resin viscosity. The inclusion of voids in the final part will have a detrimental impact on
the mechanical properties of the composites even at a very low volume fraction.