A Seminar Report On VARTM (Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Moulding)

Submitted in Partial fulfilment of award of Bachelor of Technology

by

VISHNU SINGH:-

0610140060

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

KRISHNA ENGINEERING COLLEGE,GHAZIABAD

CANDIDATES DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the work done in this project entitled VARTM in the partial fulfillment for the award of degree of BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY with specialization in MECHANICAL ENGINEERING submitted to Krishna

Engineering college, Uttar Pradesh Technical University, Lucknow is an authentic record of my own work carried out under the supervision of Mr. ABHISHEK PANDEY, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Krishna engineering college, I have not submitted the matter in this dissertation for the award of any other Degree or Diploma or any other purpose whatsoever.

VISHNU SINGH

0416140060

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Vishnu Singh of ME 3 rd year has made a presentation on VARTM Manufacturing under my guidance.

Mr. Abhishek Pandey Lect.(ME-deptt.)

Dr. I.A. Khan HOD(ME-deptt)

ACKNOWLEGEMENT

I would like to thank all who gave us inspiration on this journey of seminar and study. I express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Abhishek Pandey(Lecturer), my guide, for enabling this study, my friends, has been actively supporting and guiding us work in this field. Dearest thanks to my friends and our family for their kind support and encouragement.

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION 2. Other Composite Manufacturing Techniques MOULDING TRANSFER MOULDING RESIN TRANSFER MOULDING Vacuum Infusion VACUUM-ASSISTED RESIN TRANSFER MOULDING

3. Basic setup of VARTM 4. Principle & Working 5. TYPES OF REINFORCEMENT 6. ISSUES WITH REINFORCING MATERIALS 7. WORKING OF RESIN 8. PROCESS 9. ADVANTEGES 10. DISADVANTEGES 11. INDUSTRIES USING VARTM 12. VARTM EXAMPLES 13. SUMMARY 14. REFERENCES

INTRODUCTION
VARTM (Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Moulding) is a composite manufacturing process to produce high-quality large-scale components. In this process, dry preform fabrics are placed in an open mould and a plastic vacuum bag is placed on the top of the mould. The one-sided mould is connected with a resin source and a vacuum pump. The liquid resin infuses into the reinforcing fibres thanks to the vacuum drawn through the mould. Curing and de-moulding steps follow the impregnation process to finish the product. Vacuum-Assisted Resin Transfer Moulding has the potential advantage of relatively low cost with sufficiently high volume fractions of reinforcement and the process can be readily applied to large-scale structures. VARTM is an infusion process where a vacuum draws resin into a one-sided mould. A cover, either rigid or flexible, is a vacuum-tight seal. However, for many aircraft placed over the top to form

applications, VARTM does not currently provide sufficient repeatability or control of variability. This unpredictable variability is commonly observed when processing with the traditional VARTM process. In order to produce VARTM parts of aircraft quality on a routine basis, the variability must be understood

MOULDING

Moulding consists of all operations necessary to prepare a mould for receiving molten metal. Moulding usually involves placing a moulding aggregate around a pattern held with a supporting frame , withdrawing the pattern to leave the mould cavity, setting the cores in the mould cavity and finishing and closing the mould. Moulding is the process of manufacturing by shaping pliable raw material using a rigid frame or model called a pattern. A mould or mould is a hollowed-out block that is filled with a liquid like plastic, glass, metal, or ceramic raw materials. The liquid hardens or sets inside the mould, adopting its shape. A mould is the opposite of a cast. Moulding (USA) or moulding (AUS, CAN, UK) is a strip of material with various cross sections used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood. In classical architecture and sculpture, the moulding is often carved in marble or other stones.

TRANSFER MOULDING
Transfer moulding, like compression moulding, is a process where the amount of moulding material (usually a thermoset plastic) is measured and inserted before the moulding takes place. The moulding material is preheated and loaded into a chamber known as the pot. A plunger is then used to force the material from the pot through channels known as a sprue and runner system into the mould cavities. The mould remains closed as the material is inserted and is opened to release the part from the sprue and runner. The mould walls are heated to a temperature above the melting point of the mould material; this allows a faster flow of material through the cavities. Transfer Moulding. This is an automated operation that combines compression-, moulding, and transfer-moulding processes. This combination has the good surface finish, dimensional stability, and mechanical properties obtained in compression moulding and the high-automation capability and low cost of injection moulding and transfer moulding. Transfer Moulding is having a "piston and cylinder"-like device built into the mould so that the rubber is squirted into the cavity through small holes. A piece of uncured rubber is placed into a portion of the transfer mould called the "pot." The mould is closed and under hydraulic pressure the rubber or plastic is forced through a small hole (the "gate") into the cavity. The mould is held closed while the plastic or rubber cures. The transfer mould is opened and the part can be removed. The moulds in both compression and transfer moulding remain closed until the curing reaction within the material is complete. Ejector pins are usually incorporated into the design of the moulding tool and are used to push the part from the mould once it has hardened. These types of moulding are ideal for high production runs as they have short production cycles. Transfer moulding, unlike compression moulding uses a closed mould, so smaller tolerances and more intricate parts can be achieved. The fixed cost of the tooling in transfer moulding is

greater than in compression moulding and as both methods produce waste material, whether it be flash or the material remaining in the sprue and runners, transfer moulding is the more expensive process.

RESIN TRANSFER MOULDING

In RTM the resin is injected or drawn into a mould, which contains the fibres, from a homogeniser under low pressure. The mould can be made from composites for low production cycles or with aluminium or steel for larger production. The differences between the two types being that metal has better heat transfer, hence quicker cycle times; metal lasts longer and deforms less, but at a higher cost. The main problem with this production route is that air can be trapped in mould and hence a method must be incorporated for allowing this air to escape. A number of solutions to the problem exist including extending one level of reinforcement beyond the cavity (with a 25% resin loss), appropriate vents and creating a vacuum in the mould (which also improves quality). Larger structures, better properties (less movement of fibres), increased flexibility of design and lower cost are some of the advantage this process has over compression molding due mainly to the low pressure injection. Other benefits include rapid manufacture, not labour intensive, ability to vary reinforcements easily or include cores such as foam and produce low and high quality products.

VACUUM-ASSISTED RESIN TRANSFER MOULDING

Vacuum-Assisted Resin Transfer Moulding technique comprises from two basic

steps. First sufficient dry reinforcement is placed onto the surface of the substrate so to meet the structural requirements and second a curable resin is introduced such that the reinforcement is impregnated and the resin is solidified. Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Moulding or VARTM is used widely as an alternative to open mould techniques to produce large components. VARTM employs a single mould tool, with the reinforcement enclosed by a membrane sealed onto the mould to close the cavity. A distribution medium with a high in-plane permeability is usually placed on top of the reinforcement to accelerate the in-plane flow. Air is extracted from the cavity and the atmospheric pressure outside the bag compresses the reinforcement onto the mould, and resin is then drawn into the mould. The process is shown schematically in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 VARTM mould assembly

VARTM

The flexibility of the vacuum bag introduces a novel aspect not present in RTM: the fluid pressure field that induces flow also modifies the local compaction state of the reinforcement and ultimately alters permeability. As fluid pressure changes due to the movement of the flow front, so does the compaction pressure on the reinforcement, which leads to variations in porosity and permeability. This is illustrated in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 Effect of fluid pressure on compaction in VARTM

In addition flow is inherently 3-D, as fluid advances most rapidly within the distribution medium and then flows through thickness to impregnate the reinforcement. These aspects should be considered when developing a flow simulation for VARTM. Throughout this paper, RTM is referred to for comparison purposes. RTM process is significantly better understood than the VARTM and it has been in use for some time. Modeling tools for RTM process

are readily available. Moreover, RTM is equivalent to VARTM for an incompressible or, practically, very stiff Perform and without the use of a distribution media.

Basic Setup
The bare necessities are: 1. Any dry fiber reinforcement 2. Any low viscosity plastic resin 3. A vacuum pump and bag 4. A plastic injection or porting system 5. A one-sided mould of the part 6. A porous transfer material to help the resin travel across the mould surface. 7. For high-quality products software that is designed to open and close the injection or porting system based on sensor feed back throughout the model. TYPES OF REINFORCEMENT& its desired fuctions

Primary :- Resists tensile stresses due to loads acting on the structure. Types 1. Continuous and long fibres 2. Mesh or grid 3. Pre-stressed strand 4. Post-tensioning strand Secondary :-Controls cracks which may occur due to shrinkage or thermal loading on the surface Types 1. Chopped fibers 2. Carbon Nanotubes to avoid spring in phenomenon during resin cure

Issues with Reinforcing Materials

Basic function of reinforcing material &related issues 1. Steel rusts, even composites)MMFX. 2. Stainless steel is expensive. 3. Fiberglass is not as efficient as steel or carbon fiber and may degrade. 4. Carbon fiber has traditionally been very expensive Chopped Fibers(does not take tensile load): Basically used to increase the isotropic behavior of the composite 1. Cannot be relied on for structural loading 2. Not reliable for crack control for service conditions. epoxy coated, galvanized & (metal matrix fibre

What is a Fiber Resin Mixture

Fibers + Resin = Fiber Resin Mixture = Composite

Where fiber is the reinforcing material and resin is the matrix material which holds the fiber in a proper direction. The resins can be of two types thermosetting & thermoplastics but in VARTM thermoplastics are commonly used due to low viscosity and low permeability which are important parameters during infusion and the flow of resin through the perform or fiber bed.

Fiber Fibers :1. Carbon 2.Fiberglass 3.Aramid

Resin

Carbon Resins :1. Epoxy 2. Polyester 3. Vinylester 4. PVC 5. Polypropylene 6. Polyurethane 7. Phenolic NOTE:

Fiberglass

Aramid

Main objectives are to combine the fibers and resins such that the fibers are aligned in the desired direction and held in place. Carbon grids are made using a non-woven process which aligns carbon fibers in a desired configuration which may be 0/90 , [0/90] s or so, while simultaneously impregnating them with polymer resin

Comparison of the Tensile Strength of the Fibers

700 600 Carbon 500 400 Aramid 300 200 100 Glass

0.000

0.010

0.020

0.030

0.040

0.050

0.060

0.070

ON X-axis:- Tensile Stress (ksi) On Y-axis:- Tensile Strain (in./in.)

The graph compares the tensile properties of the most common fiber types, carbon, aramid, and fiberglass. Carbon is stiffest and strongest of the three

Characteristics of Carbon Fibers:1. Very high strength and stiffness. 2. Relatively low ultimate strain. 3. Low coefficient of thermal expansion. 4. Thermally stable up to 3500F. 5. Excellent moisture and chemical resistance. 6. Electrically conductive. 7. Relatively low thermal conductivity WORKING OF RESIN 1. Holds the fibers in alignment. 2. Protects the fibers from damage. 3. Transfers stresses from fiber to fiber. 4. Influences the durability of the composites and must be resistant to a variety of chemical environments. 5. Creates a usable composite form like a grid.

Principle & Working 1. Dry fabric is laid up on one-sided mould 2. A transfer material that allows for easy travel of resin over the side of the cloth opposite of the mould, (Resin Distribution Medium). 3. A vacuum bag is then attached to the opposite surface of the fabric on the other side of the mould 4. The air is evacuated with the use of a vacuum pump 5. When the air is gone the resin from an external reservoir is drawn into the component by the vacuum pump 6. The resin in its liquid state is forced into the component with the vacuum 7. The part is allowed to cure, or the part is cured with a UV catalyst.

ADVANTAGES

1. Minimal complication in manufacturing. 2. Repeatable results. 3. Low manufacturing cost. 4. Comparable results to manufacturing processes that have none of the previously listed qualities. 5. Facilitates much higher strength then other processes. 6. A Rapid, Low Cost Manufacturing Technique.

INDUSTRIES USING VARTM

1. Air to air missile casings 2. Stealth navel attack vessels 3. Wind powered energy 4. Vehicle replacement parts 5. Aircraft fairings 6. Manufacturing of turbine blades.

VARTM EXAMPLES

1. Eagle Rudder 2. Generic Wing Spar 3. Wind Turbine Blade 4. JASSM 5. Contest 55 Hull and Upper Deck 6. Submersible Pressure Hull Ends 7. Ariane-5 LOX Fairing

CONCLUSION
VARTM is the subject of many research topics. The process has great potential for general use, and for parts that are not highly loaded. This process seems like it will make its way into the aircraft industry in a reverse order from the general market. This is likely make its way because of the funding being funneled its way from other industries that want these materials in their products, but cannot afford the Autoclaves, the refrigerators, and the working tools needed for pre-preg. quality parts. This process will be seen in industry in years to come, and is currently being integrated at a rapid rate.

REFERENCES
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. http://www.ml.afrl.af.mil/news/mlm-0004.html http://www.ncat.edu/~ccmradm/ccmr/onrship.html http://www.e-composites.com/MarketWind.htm http://www.me.udel.edu/meeg401/01/pdf/reports/t7-hc.pdf http://www.boataccessories.net/newsarchieve918.htm http://www.iop.org/EJ/abstract/0964-1726/9/6/301 http://www.sampe.org/ISTCprogram.html#rtm http://www.ncat.edu/~sasmith/C2.pdf http://www.cfa-hq.org/members/composites2001/Comp2001/T085.pdf

10. http://www.vsystemcomposites.com/vartm.html 11. http://www.netcomposites.com/education.asp?sequence=60 12. http://www.eng.fsu.edu/departments/industrial/wsfiles/rtmvartm.pdf