Manufacturing Technology 2026, 26(2):249-256 | DOI: 10.21062/mft.2026.018

Thermoplastic Resin Flow Behaviour in Foam Core Sandwich Composites for Aerospace Applications During Vacuum Infusion Process

Jana Zemanova ORCID..., Bohuslav Cabrnoch ORCID..., Michal Kral ORCID...
VZLU AEROSPACE, a.s. Beranovych 130, 199 00 Praha 18. Czech Republic

This article presents the research findings on the flow behaviour of thermoplastic resin in foam core sandwich composites for aerospace applications during the vacuum assisted infusion process. After optimizing the process parameters, two sandwich panels were manufactured using glass fibre fabrics, a polymethacrylimide (PMI) foam core, and a liquid acrylic resin. To compare the sandwich and monolithic structure process behaviour, a monolithic composite panel was also manufactured. By combining experimental monitoring with Darcy's law, permeability differences between the structures were evaluated. The results indicate that PMI foam does not significantly affect the resin flow trend, and that Darcy´s law can be applied to both monolithic and sandwich structures when a thermoplastic liquid resin is used. These findings offer theoretical guidance for process parameter design and real-time in situ monitoring of the vacuum infusion process.

Keywords: Thermoplastic Composites, Sandwich Structure, Vacuum Infusion, Darcy´s Law, Aerospace Applications
Grants and funding:

The research leading to this work has received funding from the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic in the DKRVO program dedicated to the development of research organizations

Received: October 13, 2025; Revised: March 23, 2026; Accepted: March 24, 2026; Prepublished online: April 22, 2026; Published: April 23, 2026  Show citation

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Zemanova J, Cabrnoch B, Kral M. Thermoplastic Resin Flow Behaviour in Foam Core Sandwich Composites for Aerospace Applications During Vacuum Infusion Process. Manufacturing Technology. 2026;26(2):249-256. doi: 10.21062/mft.2026.018.
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