Finite element simulation of cure of thick composite: Formulations and validation verification

This article is concerned with the two-dimensional cure simulation of thick thermosetting composites. The heat conduction equation for two-dimensional, transient anisotropic heat transfer is coupled to the cure kinetics of the thermosetting composite materials. A heat generation term, expressed as a function of cure rate and the total heat of reaction, is introduced to account for the heat liberated during the curing process. By using a weighted residual method, this investigation presents two-dimensional finite element formulation for the two-dimensional cure simulation of thick thermosetting composites and develops the corresponding finite element code. A few numerical examples, including comparison of the present numerical results with one-dimensional and two-dimensional analytical solutions, are given to indicate that the heat transfer anisotropy has an important effect on temperature field and to prove the accuracy and effectiveness of the finite element formulation. Moreover, the temperature history during the cure process of the thick glass/polyester plate is predicted and compared with experimental results. It is found that the present numerical results are in very good agreement with experimental ones.