A 2.5 Simulation of the Resin Infusion Process addressing complex reinforcement compaction response

Abstract

The simulation of composite manufacturing processes is a great aid to obtaining efficient production and high quality parts. The mould and process design must allow for fast filling times as well as dry-spot free parts. In previous work we presented our software SimLCM for the simulation of force and velocity controlled Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) and Compression RTM. These are two examples of the general Liquid Composite Moulding (LCM) group of processes. Another recently popular subclass is Resin Infusion (RI), also know as Vacuum Assisted RTM. The simulation of RI adds an extra difficulty to the simulation process, as the height of the preform will change locally because of the filling. In contrast to CRTM, this change of height is not imposed, and thus not known beforehand. This paper describes the extension of SimLCM to the simulation of RI processes. The results of the simulations are compared with results from other programs that use different techniques, and also with experimentally obtained data found in literature. The comparison between simulation and experiment is found to be excellent.