CONSOLIDATION AND CURE SIMULATIONS FOR LAMINATED COMPOSITES

Fiber reinforced polymer composites have been increasingly used in var ious structural components. One of the important processes for fabrica ting high performance laminated composites is autoclave assisted prepr eg lay-up. Since the quality of laminated composites is largely affect ed by the cure cycle, selection of the cure cycle for each particular application is important and must be optimized. Thus, some fundamental model of the consolidation and cure processes is necessary to properl y select the suitable parameters for each application. This study used the viscoelastic solid model for the consolidation of the laminate. I n addition, variations of permeability and thermal properties caused b y the change of the fiber volume content during the consolidation proc ess were also included. Simulated thickness variations of epoxy contin uous carbon fiber prepreg (AS4/3501-6 from Hercules) laminate under co nsolidation were compared to the experimental results to test the mode l. Based on the model analysis, one can predict the pressure, velocity , and laminate thickness during the consolidation process, which can b e used to properly select the cure cycle for applications of laminated composites.