Chaining of Compaction with Flow Simulations to Predict the Filling Behavior in Resin Transfer Molding Processes

Abstract

Closed mold injection processes such as resin transfer molding have an increasing importance for manufacturing high quality carbon fiber reinforced parts at high production rates. One major challenge during this process is to avoid resin rich corners, which are a result of a non-uniform compaction of the preform in the tool. The objective of this work is to predict compaction defects in the preform and their effects on the filling behavior. We use numerical compaction simulations to calculate the preform geometry after tool closing, which is subsequently transferred into the infiltration simulation to model the filling behavior. Additionally, the fiber volume content and the material orientations are transferred from the mechanical simulation. Areas in the tool, which are not filled by the reinforcement, are modelled as flow channels with high permeability. The achieved results prove the significant influence of the compaction state on the filling behavior. The novel method supports the design of RTM tools and helps to optimize the manufacturing process.