Process Modeling of Composites by Resin Transfer Molding: Sensitivity Analysis for Isothermal Considerations

Abstract

The resin transfer molding (RTM) manufacturing process consists of either of two considerations; the first is the fluid flow analysis through a porous fiber preform where the location of the flow front is of fundamental importance, and the second is combined flow/heat transfer analysis. For preliminary design purposes and the case of relatively large molds, isothermal considerations seem fairly representative of the physical situation. The continuous sensitivity formulations are developed for the process modeling of composites manufactured by RTM to predict, analyze, and the optimize the manufacturing process. Attention is focused here on developments for isothermal flow simulations, and illustrative examples are presented for sensitivity analysis applications which help serve as a design tool in the process modeling stages.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2002
Accession Number
ADA400222

Entities

People

  • Brian J. Henz
  • Kumar K. Tamma
  • Nam D. Ngo
  • Peter W. Chung
  • Randev Kanapady

Organizations

  • United States Army Research Laboratory

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Composite Materials
  • Computational Science
  • Computations
  • Finite Element Analysis
  • Flow Rate
  • Fluid Flow
  • Geometry
  • Manufacturing
  • Materials
  • Military Research
  • Moldings
  • Numerical Analysis
  • Pressure Distribution
  • Resin Transfer Molding
  • Resins
  • Sensitivity
  • Simulations

Readers

  • Combustion and Flow Dynamics.
  • Reinforced Composite Materials
  • Systems Analysis and Design