Paper number 313

NOVEL DIELECTRIC SENSOR SETUP FOR FLOW AND CURE MONITORING IN RESIN TRANSFER MOULDING

Alexandros A. Skordos, Panagiotis I. Karkanas and Ivana K. Partridge

Advanced Materials Department, School of Industrial and Manufacturing Science
Cranfield University, Beds, MK43 OAL,UK

Summary The development, analysis and experimental validation of a novel dielectric flow and cure sensor for the resin-transfer-moulding of composites are presented. A linear relationship is established between the flow front position and electrical admittance measurements, allowing accurate flow front location. The sensor performance as an indicator of flow front position is evaluated using visual verification of the flow front position. Its efficiency for monitoring of the curing stage is assessed by comparison of the measurements with conventional microdielectrometry data. Experimental results demonstrate that the sensor can locate the flow front accurately. The measurement output is in the form of a complex number; this appears to offer a potential for a qualitative self-assessment. The monitoring of the cure process shows performance similar to that of the established microdielectrometric techniques.
Keywords dielectric, cure , monitoring, flow, RTM, sensors, impedance.

Theme : Smart Materials and Smart Manufacturing

[ HOME ]  [ BACK ]