Determination of In-Plane Permeability of Fiber Preforms by the Gas Flow Method Using Pressure Measurements

A method is described for measuring the in-plane permeability of orthotropic fibrous preforms using gas flow. The method is based on an optimization process between computed and measured pressures at various locations in the mold during steady state gas flow through the enclosed preform. The computed pressure is obtained by the control volume finite element method (CVFEM). This method was demonstrated by using a specially designed mold with multiple ports for gas injection and pressure measurement and it was shown that it can be implemented easily and yields consistent and reliable results.