• Deleglise-Lagardere, Mylène
• Sidlipura, Sujith
• Ayadi, Abderrahmane

Abstract

This experimental study evaluates multi-modal imaging techniques for characterizing microstructures in partially impregnated thermoplastic matrix composites made from woven glass fibre (WGF) and polypropylene (PP). The research focuses on the impregnation quality of composite plates manufactured through a displacement-controlled thermo-compression method called Simplified Compression Resin Transfer Moulding (CRTM). This method, which bypasses the injection stage, allows matrix flow through the plate thickness, simulating CRTM's impregnation phase. For comparison, a reference plate was produced using a film stacking method. The study employs extended field 2D imaging techniques like Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM), Fluorescence Microscopy (FM), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to visualize microstructures at the fibre scale throughout the plate. These techniques are integrated via correlative imaging to generate detailed synthetic images, providing quantitative assessments of glass fibre and porosity area fractions. Results indicate the method's sensitivity to fibre breakage, with porosity levels around 8.2% and 8.7% in layers 1 and 5 of the reference plate, respectively. Notably, the Simplified CRTM plate shows a transverse polymer flow, highlighting the potential to characterize meso-scale microstructure in a 0/90 composite stacking configuration. These findings underscore the need for further development to quantify uncertainties and enhance understanding of fluid-structure interactions in CRTM processes. For more details, refer to volume 8 of the proceedings of the 21st European Conference on Composite Materials, doi: 10.60691/yj56-np80

Topics

• phase
• scanning electron microscopy
• glass
• glass
• composite
• defect
• porosity
• resin
• thermoplastic
• woven
• Polarized light microscopy
• fluorescence microscopy