Fiber Clustering: A Comparison of Two Resin Flow Models

The present paper provides a comparative analysis of the potential of two different resin flow models, the Ideal Fibre-Reinforced fluid and the Stokes' flow model, to account for fiber clustering. It is shown that both of these models represent well the resin flow during different periods of the curing process. On that basis, it is shown that fiber clustering occurs early in the curing process when viscosity is still low. Then, as time increases, the resin becomes more viscous and prevents any further relative motions of the fibers.