Directional Permeability Measurement of Fiberglass Reinforcements

To successfully model the RTM and SRIM composite molding processes, the permeability characteristics of the reinforcements must be determined. A planar gap mold apparatus was developed to measure the directional permeabilities of fiberglass reinforcements. A model of the flow in the apparatus is derived from Darcy's Law and the equation of continuity. Test results from a series of woven and nonwoven fiberglass reinforcements are shown to correlate with the Blake-Kozeny theory.