Feedback control of the vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process

The Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM) technique is a liquid-molding process that offers the potential to significantly reduce fabrication costs for large-scale composite structures. The VARTM workcell is used to evaluate control strategies and sensors such as SMARTweave to provide feedback for an intelligent control system. Current VARTM systems lack automated control systems resulting in part to part variability. This research presents a continuously controlled vacuum actuator system and the influence of vacuum gradients on resin flow front control.