A NUMERICAL APPROACH TO MODEL NONISOTHERMAL VISCOUS-FLOW THROUGH FIBROUS MEDIA WITH FREE SURFACES

A numerical simulation is presented to predict the free surface and it s interactions with heat transfer and cure for flow of a shear-thinnin g resin through the fibre preform. the flow part of the simulation is based on the finite element/control volume method. Since the tradition al control volume approach produces an error associated with a mass ba lance inconsistency, a new method which overcomes this issue is propos ed, the element control volume method. The heat transfer and cure anal ysis in the simulation are based on the finite difference/control volu me method. Since heat conduction is dominant in the through-thickness direction and most of the heat convection is in-plane, heat transfer a nd cure are solved in fully three-dimensional form. A simple concept o f the boundary condition constant is introduced which models a realist ic mould configuration with a heating element located at a distance be hind the mould wall. The varying viscosity throughout the mould associ ated with the strain rate, temperature and degree of cure distribution may be accounted for in calculating the mould-filling pattern. This i ntroduces a two-way coupling between momentum and energy transport in fibrous media during mould filling.