Studies on rheological behaviors of phenolic resin system for resin transfer molding

The rheological behavior of the phenolic resin for resin transfer molding (RTM) was studied with DSC analysis and viscosity experiments. A rheological model based on the dual-Arrhenius equation was established and used to simulate the rheological behavior of the phenolic resin. The model prediction determined from the dual-Arrhenius equation was in good agreement with experimental data. It is found that the processing window of the phenolic resin can be well determined based on the developed model. The rheological model is important for the processing parameter simulation and the quality control of RTM processing for high performance composites.