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In recent years, due to growing environmental concerns, composite materials have emerged as a promising lightweight alternative for metals in structural applications in automobiles. Among composite manufacturing processes, Wet Compression Molding (WCM) is a new method of producing Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) components. For similar processes like RTM, operating conditions are always one of the factors that impact the mechanical performance of CFRP parts. Thus, this thesis aimed to investigate the effects of operating conditions, including resin temperature, mold temperature, resin set time, gap closure speed, and mold curing time on the mechanical property of the composite parts. In addition, the relationship between the initial resin application and the quality of the final parts was evaluated in this research. Flat plaques of carbon-fiber composites in an epoxy matrix were fabricated using WCM equipment, and the flexural property (Young’s Modulus) of the final parts were measured. Through statistical analysis, experimental results revealed that the part's mechanical property was significantly affected by the mold temperature, resin temperature, and resin set time. Moreover, at the higher level of the significant factors, the quality of the parts was lower, and the optical microscope test confirmed voids formation during the WCM process (air entrapment), which was the primary reason for the poor quality of the final parts. In addition, statistical results exhibited no correlation between the initial resin distribution and the mechanical property of the final parts. |
