Analysis of the consolidation in flexible bladder process for thin composite parts by finite element method

The consolidation of a saturated preform under pressure by means of a flexi ble bladder is studied in this paper. This phenomenon occurs in several com posite manufacturing processes such as compression resin transfer molding ( CRTM) for example. The resin flow in the fiber bed is governed by Darcy's l aw. The consolidation of the saturated preform is described by the total ma ss conservation. Mechanical behavior of the fiber network is analyzed. A tw o-dimensional numerical model is developed based on the finite element meth od. The numerical model allows the calculation of the resin pressure distri bution in the preform, the reaction force of the preform and the prediction of the evolution of the preform thickness as a function of time and space.