State of the Art of degasification techniques, in the shaping processes of composite materials prepared by resin infusion

The development of composite materials has represented many advances in the naval, aeronautical and aerospace sector complying with specific properties that increase the strength of the material, depending on the application being used and the environmental conditions to which it is exposed. Composite materials as the constituted with carbon fiber reinforcements of epoxy type matrix, nowadays are used for the manufacture of components in the structure of the aircrafts for their reductions of weight and fuel in contrast to the common use of metallic alloys. Due to the importance of epoxy resin and its use in industrial processes will be considered object of study in this project. Despite of these advantages, other challenges to overcome are the development of cheaper production process and new techniques of processing to the manufacturing of components with structural functions; one of them is the resin infusion which is based on the impregnation of thin films of dry fabrics through resin, this technique uses vacuum pressure to drive resin into laminate. Materials are laid dry into the mold and the vacuum is applied before resin is introduced. This process improves the quality and strength of the laminate reinforcement (fiberglass) of the parts. During the resin impregnation process, the vacuum causes the nucleation and formation of air bubbles from gases dissolved in the resin. A degassing process prior to the infusion can be a solution to remove those undesirable effects in the resin. This explorative study has as aim the research about the state of art of the degasification techniques and collects the processes involved in the quality of the final result of the resin. Additionally, it gives the initial requirements to carry out a future experimental study. Technical requirements to the realization of the experiments such as equipment, materials and personnel involved will be evaluated. A solvent database as CES-EDUPACK 2012 of recognized prestige in industrial engineering and aeronautics field, also used in companies as Ferrari, Renault F1, Intel, NASA will be used in the selection criteria of the materials involved in the technical requirements.