Composite Centre researchers have already been studying how resin flows through fabrics made from carbon fiber and have found the resin flow through the fabric isn’t symmetrical, despite the weave pattern being perfectly symmetrical. They believe this may be a result of slightly differing yarn tensions within the fabric. Now they hope to expand their knowledge by experimenting with different tensions for the warp (the long continuous threads) and the weft (the thread that is fed across the loom) between the warp threads to create the woven material.
“If we can control warp and weft tension we might be able to influence resin flow,” says Turner. If the researchers are successful, they could be able to weave materials that could be opened up to form a series of boxes or a honeycomb structure that would give the completed composite component additional strength.
