Modeling and Experimental Validation of the VARTM Process for Thin-Walled Preforms
Journal article, 2019

In this paper, recent shell model is advanced towards the calibration and validation of the Vacuum-assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM) process in a novel way. The model solves the nonlinear and strongly coupled resin flow and preform deformation when the 3-D flow and stress problem is simplified to a corresponding 2-D problem. In this way, the computational efficiency is enhanced dramatically, which allows for simulations of the VARTM process of large scale thin-walled structures. The main novelty is that the assumptions of the neglected through-thickness flow and the restricted preform deformation along the normal of preform surface suffice well for the thin-walled VARTM process. The model shows excellent agreement with the VARTM process experiment. With good accuracy and high computational efficiency, the shell model provides an insight into the simulation-based optimization of the VARTM process. It can be applied to either determine locations of the gate and vents or optimize process parameters to reduce the deformation.

process modeling

fiber preform deformation

resin flow

porous media theory

liquid composite molding

Author

Da Wu

Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Material and Computational Mechanics

Ragnar Larsson

Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Material and Computational Mechanics

Mohammad Sadegh Rouhi

RISE Research Institutes of Sweden

Polymers

2073-4360 (eISSN)

Vol. 11 12 2003

Driving Forces

Sustainable development

Subject Categories

Applied Mechanics

Computational Mathematics

Fluid Mechanics and Acoustics

Areas of Advance

Production

Materials Science

Infrastructure

Facility for Computational Systems Biology

C3SE (Chalmers Centre for Computational Science and Engineering)

Roots

Basic sciences

DOI

10.3390/polym11122003

PubMed

31817004

More information

Latest update

3/21/2023