DIMENSION PREDICTION AND CONTROL FOR RESIN TRANSFER MOLDING PROCESS

摘要

With the increasing demand for composite products to be affordable, net-shaped and efficiently assembled, tight dimension tolerance is critical. Due to lack of accurate process models, RTM dimension analysis and control are often performed using trial-and-error approaches based on engineers' experiences or previous production data. Such approaches are limited to specific geometry and materials and often fail to achieve the required dimensional accuracy in the final products. This paper presents a dimension prediction and compensation approach based on a dimension variation model, which is built based on process simulation, the classical laminate theory (CLT) and finite element analysis (FEA) method. The approach provides a tool to predict and control dimension variations in the resin transfer molding (RTM) processes. The model was validated using 2-D and 3-D analyses based on theoretical results and experimental data. Using this model, deformations of common features in typical composite structures were analyzed. Design parameters were identified and related to dimension deformation. One single-stiffener structure was used as an example to illustrate this approach. Deformation compensation for mold design is also proposed and illustrated using simulation.