Thermal Characterization and Improvement of Curing Stage in Resin Transfer Molding Process
Resin Transfer Molding has become one of the most efficient processes to manufacture composite parts. Among the steps in composite part processing is the curing reaction. In the majority of cases, this reaction is of exothermic nature accompanied by a rise in temperature in the laminate. This leads to the appearance of a thermal gradient. This research aims to study the thermal gradient generated. The objective is to minimize the temperature excess in the composite. By means of a one-dimensional numerical study using the finite differential method, we have showed that the energy balance depends not only on the temperature and on the degree of curing but also on several other factors, namely: the volume fraction of the fibres, the temperature cycle, and the reinforcement thickness. Authors have shown in this study the effect of increasing temperature on the optimization of the curing cycle. The chapter also investigated the effect of thickness variation on temperature distribution in the composite. A comparison of the authors' results with literature achievements showed agreement.