CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

The study of the capillary flow developed during the processing of composite materials is key because it acts as an important driving force for the impregnation of the fiber tows. It is also the main mechanism of void formation during infiltration of the fibers. In this work, capillary pressure of jute/vinylester composites was measured and the impact of capillary forces on fabric permeability was analyzed. It was found that the capillary pressure was significantly higher in vegetal than in synthetic fiber fabrics. In addition the permeability of the fibers was characterized using various fluids. The resulted permeability was influenced by the nature of fluid and its polar property. Finally, the capillary pressure measured on this work was used to correct the experimental permeability in order to obtain a property independent of the test fluid.