In-Plane Permeability Characterization of Engineering Textiles Based On Radial Flow Experiments: A Benchmark Exercise

Although good progress was made by two international benchmark exercises on in-plane permeability, existing methods have not yet been standardized. This paper presents the results of a third benchmark exercise using in-plane permeability measurement, based on systems applying the radial unsaturated injection method. 19 participants using 20 systems characterized a non-crimp and a woven fabric at three different fiber volume contents, using a commercially available silicone oil as impregnating fluid. They followed a detailed characterization procedure and also completed a questionnaire on their set-up and analysis methods. Excluding outliers (2 of 20), the average coefficient of variation (cv) between the participant’s results was 32% and 44% (non-crimp and woven fabric), while the average cv for individual participants was 8% and 12%, respectively. This indicates statistically significant variations between the measurement systems. Cavity deformation was identified as a major influence, besides fluid pressure/viscosity measurement, textile variations, and data analysis.