Fibre misalignment refers to local or more extensive misalignment of fibres in the composite material.

This causes local changes in volume fraction by preventing ideal packing of fibres. Ply misalignment refers to the situation where a whole or part of a ply or layer of the composite is misaligned. This is produced as a result of mistakes made in lay-up of the component plies. This alters the overall stiffness and strength of the laminate and may cause bending during cure. The properties of the resulting component will be affected.

Fibre and ply misalignment are potentially disastrous defects but are rarely encountered due to high standards of quality control. Often an off-cut of the material is examined to ensure that the correct ply stacking sequence was used. However the increased use of sub-contractors to produce structural components requires the ability to check the quality of the product on delivery. Composite materials can be manufactured by a number of techniques which aim to combine the fibre and resin into a well consolidated product. The fibre and resin may be separate before manufacture or, more usually, they may already be combined in the form of pre-preg material. The manufacturing technique selected depends partly upon the size and quality or the composite required. For example, a very large item such as a ship's hull will generally be manufactured byhand lay-up techniques in which the resin is applied by brush to sheets of fibre, often in the form of woven cloth, and the excess resin squeezed out with a roller. The resin then cures at ambient temperature. It is extremely difficult to obtain very high quality laminates by this method and it will therefore be used when the lower strength can be tolerated and allowed for in design. Lower strength items requiring high quality of finish might be made by the injection moulding of short fibre composites. Higher quality materials are usually required for aerospace components to minimize the weight so complicated techniques such as hot pressing or autoclaving will be used. For the last two of these methods the quality of the finished material depends strongly on compaction pressure being applied at the correct moment during the heating cycle. The precise technique used to bleed off excess resin will also affect quality and surface finish. The details of the technique adopted will depend upon the resin system used.During all these manufacturing processes defects can be introduced into the material, although the size and frequency of occurrences of each type depends upon the particular process cycle. Fibre and ply misalignment are particularly an issue to avoid in pressure moulded components.

Introduction Incomplete cure refers to the situation where the matrix has been Incompletely cured matrix due to incorrect curing cycle or faulty resin material. This may be localised or affect the whole component. The result will be reduced strength and toughness. Incomplete cure is also an issue in adhesive processes using resin based adhesives affecting the integrity of end-fittings and adhesive joints. Composite materials can be manufactured by a number of technique which aim to combine the fibre and resin into s a well consolidated product. The fibre and resin may be separate before manufacture or, more usually, they may already be combined in the form of pre-preg material.

The manufacturing technique selected depends partly upon the size and quality or the composite required. For example, a very large item such as a ship's hull will generally be manufactured by hand lay-up techniques in which the resin is applied by brush to sheets of fibre, often in the form of woven cloth, and the excess resin squeezed out with a roller. The resin then cures at ambient temperature. It is extremely difficult to obtain very high quality laminates by this method and it will therefore be used when the lower strength can be tolerated a allowed for in nd design. Lower strength items requiring high quality of finish might be made by the injection moulding of short fibre composites. Higher quality materials are usually required for aerospace components to minimize the weight so complicated techniques such as hot pressing or autoclaving will be used. Whichever process is used an important stage in manufacturer is curing of the matrix usually at ambient temperature.

F c me s for compos es are des ed to prov de a uniform distribution of fibres in a resin matrix. properties depend on the fib vo u fra ion. Load transfer across the fibre matrix interfaces are a key feature giving rise to the good strength and toughness characteristics of composites. It is a natural conse uence of manufacturing methods that local variations in fibre or resin content will occur. Where the resin content is above design limits this is referred to as x resin. In engineered components such as those produced by filament winding, higher fibre levels may be deliberately introduced in key areas where enhanced performance is re uired.
    

In orrect fibre vo u e fraction occurs due to excess or insufficient resin. Local variations in volume fraction will always occur but large departures from specifications may be caused by inappropriate process conditions. Excess resin will result is local weakening and strength variation in the component. This will affect local stress distributions and may assist initiation of other damage mechanisms such as delaminations. If there is a lack of resin then integrity of fibre-matrix interfaces may also be locally impaired. Excess resin is important to avoid in pressurised or structural components such as pressure vessels.