A taxonomy for resin infusion processes

The traditional processes for the manufacture of high-performance composite shell structures are (a) vacuum-bagging (VB)/VB with autoclave cure (VBA) or (b) resin transfer moulding (RTM) or (c) compression moulding. Over the past decade there have been a number of novel "infusion" processes introduced which span the gap between VB(A) and RTM. The new processes are known by a confusing set of names or acronyms - each company uses a distinct name, yet often the processes are near identical. The author proposes that the infusion processes can be mapped onto four distinct generic processes: • Resin infusion in the plane of the fabric • Resin infusion with a flow medium/transport or distribution mesh • Resin film infusion, or • Semi-preg techniques. This paper describes the attributes of each of the four variants above. The presentation will consider their relative advantages and issues. ©2010: The Royal Institution of Naval Architects.