Simulation of the three-dimensional non-isothermal mold filling process in resin transfer molding

Numerical simulation of resin transfer molding (RTM) is known as a useful method to analyze the process before the mold is actually built. In thick parts, the resin flow is no longer two-dimensional and must be simulated in a fully three-dimensional space. This article presents numerical simulations of three-dimensional non-isothermal mold filling of the RTM process. The control volume/finite element method (CV/FEM) is used in this study. Numerical formulation for resin flow is based on the concept of nodal partial saturation at the flow front. This approach permits to include a transient term in the working equation, removing the need for calculation of time step to track the flow front in conventional scheme. In order to compare the results of the nodal partial saturation concept with the conventional method, a numerical scheme based on the quasi-steady state formulation is also presented. The computer codes developed based on both numerical formulations, allow the prediction of flow front positions; and pressure, temperature and conversion distributions in three-dimensional molds with complicated geometries. The validity of the two schemes is evaluated by comparison with analytical solutions of simple geometries. In all instances excellent agreement is observed. Numerical case studies are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed computer codes. The results show that the numerical procedure based on the nodal partial saturation concept, developed in this study, provides numerically valid and reasonably accurate predictions. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier Ltd.