Manufacture of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) matrix composites via the powder impregnation route

A consolidation model is applied to powder-impregnated composites. The model predicts the time evolution of the void volume fraction as a function of the applied pressure during consolidation. The applied pressure is considered to be composed of resin pressure obtained from a solution of the flow of resin along a channel formed by three parallel fibres. Micrographs support the geometrical assumptions of the model. Good correlation is achieved with experimental data produced from consolidated polyphenylene sulfide glass fibre (PPS/GF) laminates pultruded using the dry powder impregnation technique. Void measurements were taken at three points during processing and are seen to increase linearly with the final fibre volume fraction of the composite. Flexural and interlaminar shear stregth tests are used to correlate the mechanical properties with respect to the impregnation quality, in particular the void content, of the laminates.