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A Review of Permeability and Flow Simulation for Liquid Composite Moulding of Plant Fibre Composites.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

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Type

Article

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Authors

Pantaloni, Delphin 
Baley, Christophe 
Ramage, Michael H 

Abstract

Liquid composite moulding (LCM) of plant fibre composites has gained much attention for the development of structural biobased composites. To produce quality composites, better understanding of the resin impregnation process and flow behaviour in plant fibre reinforcements is vital. By reviewing the literature, we aim to identify key plant fibre reinforcement-specific factors that influence, if not govern, the mould filling stage during LCM of plant fibre composites. In particular, the differences in structure (physical and biochemical) for plant and synthetic fibres, their semi-products (i.e., yarns and rovings), and their mats and textiles are shown to have a perceptible effect on their compaction, in-plane permeability, and processing via LCM. In addition to examining the effects of dual-scale flow, resin absorption, (subsequent) fibre swelling, capillarity, and time-dependent saturated and unsaturated permeability that are specific to plant fibre reinforcements, we also review the various models utilised to predict and simulate resin impregnation during LCM of plant fibre composites.

Description

Keywords

biocomposites, flow modelling, liquid composite moulding (LCM), natural fibres, permeability, polymer matrix composites (PMCs), resin transfer moulding (RTM)

Journal Title

Materials (Basel)

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1996-1944
1996-1944

Volume Title

13

Publisher

MDPI AG

Rights

All rights reserved
Sponsorship
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (via European Commission European Territorial Cooperation (Interreg)) (Unknown)
The authors acknowledge the INTERREG IV Cross Channel programme for funding this work through the FLOWER project.