INVESTIGATION OF PORE SIZE AND RESIN ABSORBENCY IN CHOPPED STRAND MATS

Abstract

The main aim was to measure and evaluate the absorption ability of resins in glass fiber mats most often used in Hungary since pore size influences the absorbance process and the absorbed quantity of resin during composite production when the resin is still in a liquid phase. The average value of pores and their distribution function were estimated using the mat statistic model and the measured geometrical parameters. The measurement and evaluation method developed can be used to model the liquid absorbance process of glass fiber mats and to measure the mass of absorbed resin and the rate of absorption. A good theoretical approximation was also obtained for describing the resin absorbency of glass fiber mats. It was found that there is a linear relationship between the pore sizes estimated with the help of the statistic fiber mat model and the uptake rate.