Ultrasonic vacuum resin infusion processing and property of carbon nanotube/glass fiber/epoxy resin laminates

The carbon nanotube (CNT)-glass fiber/epoxy resin laminates were prepared by traditional vacuum assisted resin infusion molding (VARIM) and ultrasonic vacuum resin infusion processing (UVRIP) respectively. The defects of the laminates processed with two processing methods were examined, and the mechanical properties including flexural property and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) were measured. In addition, the property of the resin and the adhesion between resin and fiber were analyzed. The effects of CNT and processing method on the property of laminates were discussed. The results show that compared with traditional VARIM, the defects in the fiber bundles decrease because the resin fluidity and the resin infiltration are improved in UVRIP. The mechanical properties of the laminates are enhanced by adding 0.05% mass fraction of CNT, especially for the laminates processed by UVRIP. Moreover, the effect of processing method on the property of laminate is dependent on the structure of the fabric.