Method of fabricating fiber reinforced composite articles by resin transfer molding

摘要

A method of making fiber reinforced composite articles from stabilized dry fiber preforms which are impregnated with a thermosetting resin by the resin transfer molding method. The dry fiber preforms may be stabilized prior to molding by dispersing a polymeric binder between adjacent dry fabric plies of the preform. Hot air is passed through the preform after it has been compressed to fuse the binder and bind the dry fabric plies together, forming a stabilized high density fiber preform. Forming a preform by this method is significantly less labor and time intensive than methods currently in use.