Applying Isothermal Injection Moulding Process in the Manufacturing of Polymer Composite Reinforced with NiTi Shape Memory Alloy

Abstract

SMART materials have gained several applications in industries, especially aeronautical and biomedical. Therefore, the fabrication process of these materials must present quality in the completion and dimensioning, in addition to well established mechanical properties. In this sense, the Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) process is presented as an alternative to the manufacture of such products. This process presents advantages compared to other methods, such as, product quality and low cost. Thus, this work aims to model and simulate numerically the manufacturing process of polymer composite reinforced with NiTi shape memory alloy by RTM using the Ansys CFX commercial software. Results of pressure, velocity and volume fractions fields of the phases are presented and discussed. It was verified that the process parameters, like injection pressure and resin inlet and air outlet positions influenced the total time of the process and final product quality.