• Herzog, Benjamin J.
  University of Maine Graduate School
  

The composite Pressure Resin infusion system (comPRIS) is a newly developed process whereby resin is infused through fiber reinforcement via external pressure to produce Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composite material. The process can be modified so that the fiber reinforcement can be bonded to other substrate or core materials to develop hybrid composite products. The various forms of the substrates can be laminated or consolidated at the same time that the FRP composite is fabricated within or on the surface of the core materials.

ComPRIS offers several advantages over other resin infusion processes, e.g. Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM). The use of pressure allows for a greater driving force of resin into fiber reinforcement and or porous material than is possible using a vacuum. As a result, the penetration of heavy towed fabrics and thick parts, without the need for flow or resin distribution media, is achieved. In addition, ComPRIS-fabricated laminated products exhibit a graded interfacial boundary, or resin interphase, between bonded materials. This resin interphase may result in a stronger bond between laminates and may be less prone to delamination than conventional produced adhesive bond interfaces.