Fibre-reinforced composite moulding and manufacture thereof

A method of manufacturing a fibre-reinforced composite moulding, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) disposing at least one layer of fibrous reinforcing material within a mould;
• (b) disposing at least one pre-preg layer adjacent to the fibrous reinforcing material, the pre-preg layer comprising fibrous reinforcement at least partially impregnated with uncured first resin material, to form a laminar assembly of the at least one layer of fibrous reinforcing material and the at least one pre-preg layer within the mould;
• (c) applying a vacuum to the assembly;
• (d) infusing a flowable uncured second resin material, under the vacuum by vacuum assisted resin transfer moulding, into the at least one layer of fibrous reinforcing material;
• and
• (e) curing the first and second resin materials at least partially simultaneously to form the fibre-reinforced composite moulding which comprises at least one first structural portion formed from the fibrous reinforcement and the cured first resin material bonded to at least one second structural portion formed from the at least one layer of fibrous reinforcing material and the cured second resin material, wherein the second infused resin material has a curing temperature range that is lower than the curing temperature range of the first pre-preg resin material, the curing step is carried out at a temperature within the curing temperature range of the second infused resin material, and the curing of the second resin material is exothermic and generates heat to raise the temperature of the first resin material to within the curing temperature range of the first resin material,
• the method further comprising the step, before step (a), of disposing a surfacing layer on the mould surface, the surfacing layer comprising a third uncured resin material and being in the form of at least one solid sheet, and in steps (a) and (b) the laminar assembly of the at least one layer of fibrous reinforcing material and the at least one pre-preg layer is disposed over the surfacing layer within the mould, and in the curing step (e) the third resin material is cured at least partially simultaneously with the first and second resin materials, and wherein in the curing step (e) the curing reaction of the second resin material is exothermic which generates heat which accelerates the curing of the third resin material.