Though pultrusion has existed for nearly 40 years, factors affecting t
emperature and resin reactivity are not completely understood. A model
is tested to help explain the effects of die temperature, line speed
and initiator concentration on curing inside a pultrusion die. The mod
el includes radio frequency preheating, heat conduction, heat of cure,
changing thermal properties with temperature and degree of cure, and
hindered heat transfer due to shrinkage of the profile away from the d
ie. The analysis is compared to experimental temperature measurements
for a 1-in. (25-mm) round die, where die temperature, line speed, and
initiator concentration were varied. Temperature predictions by the mo
del are in good agreement with the data for many of the conditions tes
ted. Considerable disagreement still persists, however, under processi
ng conditions with faster line speeds and lower die temperatures.