Motorsport Composite Fundamentals: Resin Infusion
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Resin Infusion
02.58
| 00:00 | Resin infusion is a more complicated alternative to a wet or hand layup. |
| 00:04 | And while it does involve some extra considerations and challenges, it also comes with some significant advantages. |
| 00:11 | The basic process still uses a layup, but in this case the reinforcement is laid into the mould dry and often held in place with a light adhesive to prevent unwanted movement. |
| 00:21 | A vacuum bag is then used to draw as much of the air from the system as possible, and following that the resin is drawn into the system and infused through the reinforcement under vacuum. |
| 00:32 | Some extra parts like an infusion mesh and spiral are included in the bag to help distribute the resin through the reinforcement, but we won't dive too deep into all those consumables here. |
| 00:43 | After complete infusion, the resin feed is stopped and the part is allowed to cure, remaining under mechanical pressure as a result of the vacuum bag. |
| 00:51 | When cured, it can be debagged and removed from the mould and finished to the desired shape. |
| 00:56 | The first question you're probably asking is, what's the benefit of this over a standard wet hand layup and then a vacuum bag cure, as surely the more complicated process and extra equipment expense needs to be justified. |
| 01:10 | While there are more parts involved, meaning a higher startup cost and extra steps to the process, in some ways it's less stressful and it's often argued that it's more forgiving when producing quality parts, depending on the parts With resin infusion, there's no time limit on the setup process, particularly for the bagging exercise, allowing us to take our time and get things done correctly. |
| 01:34 | Whereas with a wet layup, this all happens while the resin is beginning to cure. |
| 01:39 | So, if it's done too slowly, the reinforcement will begin to stiffen and the vacuum bagging will not be able to serve its purpose. |
| 01:46 | As you can imagine, this is of most importance as the parts get more complex or larger. |
| 01:51 | The actual results are considered better though, as the resin is drawn through the reinforcement until saturated, and then moved on through the remaining dry reinforcement, a better distribution and resin to fiber ratio is possible, both of which we know lead to better strength and stiffness to weight ratios. |
| 02:09 | Generally, speaking, the thickness of the part is more controllable as well, since the reinforcement is infused with resin under vacuum. |
| 02:17 | Typically the process will also lead to a finished part with less voids and pinholes, making for a better quality product. |
| 02:24 | So, to sum up the key points covered in this module, resin infusion involves a dry layup of the reinforcement, followed by vacuum bagging to remove air from the system. |
| 02:34 | Resin is then drawn through the reinforcement under vacuum in the infusion process, and once complete, the composite is left to cure. |
| 02:42 | While this requires some more equipment and setup compared to a standard wet layup and vacuum bag cure, it removes the time pressure from the resin curing and generally results in better acidic and mechanical properties. |
