CURE DEPENDENT LAMINA STIFFNESS MATRICES OF RESIN TRANSFER MOLDED COMPOSITE PARTS WITH WOVEN FIBER MATS

Models are presented for determination of cure dependent stiffness mat rices for composites manufactured with woven fiber mats. Five-harness carbon and eight-harness glass mats with EPON 826 resin composites are considered. The models presented here take into account important mat erial/process parameters with emphasis on: (1) the effects of cure-dep endent resin mechanical properties, (2) fiber undulation due to the we ave of the fiber fill and warp bundles, and (3) resin interaction with the fiber bundles at a microscopic scale. In the present study these effects are considered in the determination of mechanical properties o f a Resin Transfer Molded (RTM) part.