Eventos Anais de eventos
ENCIT 2016
16th Brazilian Congress of Thermal Sciences and Engineering
IMPORTANCE OF THE INJECTION TIME IN MANUFACTURE OF COMPOSITES BY RTM PROCESS
Submission Author:
Laisa Luiz Soares , RS
Co-Authors:
Laisa Luiz Soares, jeferson Avila Souza, Liércio Isoldi, Elizaldo dos Santos, Sandro Amico, Rafael Trindade
Presenter: jeferson Avila Souza
doi://10.26678/ABCM.ENCIT2016.CIT2016-0408
Abstract
Composites manufactured by RTM (Resin Transfer Molding) process has been largely used in several industrial segments (naval, automotive, etc.). This process usually combines reduced production costs with good mechanical properties for the finished piece. Besides, RTM process produces small quantities of residues and is suitable to produce parts with complex geometry. The reinforced medium is actually a stack of a fibrous fabric, cut with the piece geometry and pressed inside the mold cavity. Mechanical properties are improved by increasing the number of layers in the stack which also increases the volume fraction of fibers and, depending on the application, the thickness of the piece. However, as larger is the volume fraction and as thick is the reinforced, more difficult is to the resin to flow (impregnates) through out the preform. In order to investigate these flow patterns, this work presents a numerical simulation, using the OpenFOAM software, of the resin advance inside the mold cavity. The influence of transverse permeability and cure time in the mold filling were investigated. Viscosity was not considered constant and a equation that relates its variation as a function of time started at the arrival of the resin in the mold cavity. Moreover different values of transverse permeability are considered in these simulations. Results allowed to predicted the reinforced properties (porosity and permeability), geometry configurations (inlet/outlet position) and limiting injection time that would improve process performance.
Keywords
RTM process, Numerical simulation, Injection time, RTM process, Numerical simulation, Injection time, RTM process, Numerical simulation, Injection time, RTM process, Numerical simulation, Injection time, RTM process, Numerical simulation, Injection time
