NONISOTHERMAL MOLD FILLING AND CURING SIMULATION IN THIN CAVITIES WITH PREPLACED FIBER MATS

A numerical model for non-isothermal mold filling and curing simulation in thin cavities with preplaced fiber mats was developed based on the control volume method. Both lumped temperature system (i.e. local thermal equilibrium between the resin and the fiber) and unlumped temperature system (i.e. thermal non-equilibrium locally) were considered. A Lagrangian coordinate system was used in the flow front region to improve the energy transfer calculation. Several molding simulation results were presented to show the effect of fiber mat presence (in the mold cavity) on the inlet pressure and temperature distribution.