Expert Lecture Spotlight | Prof. Véronique Michaud
Capillary Effects in Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite Processing
Capillary action—critical in natural systems like plant hydration and soil moisture control—also plays a pivotal yet often overlooked role in composite manufacturing, especially in Liquid Composite Molding (LCM) processes.
In this eye-opening lecture, Prof. Véronique Michaud examines how capillary effects at the resin/fiber interface influence composite quality, particularly void formation. These effects are shaped by:
Flow dynamics of viscous resin,
The anisotropic, hierarchical pore structure of textile preforms,
And complex thermodynamic–geometric interactions across micro- to millimeter scales.
Despite their importance, capillary forces have traditionally been treated as secondary to hydrodynamics due to:
Limited in-situ characterization techniques
Challenges in capturing phenomena that evolve rapidly across small spatial scales
But as the field demands higher performance, lower porosity composites, interest in capillarity is growing—driven by process maturity, advanced diagnostics, and new modeling approaches.
Prof. Michaud highlights:
- Experimental tools ranging from post-mortem analysis to real-time in-situ observations
- Methods for both translucent and opaque reinforcements
- New strategies to quantify and predict capillary behavior based on reinforcement geometry and resin properties
The lecture concludes by addressing open challenges and outlining how understanding and leveraging capillary effects could significantly improve composite part quality.
Now available on the cdmHUB YouTube channel as part of the Global Composites Expert Webinar Series.
