Three-dimensional finite element analysis of process-induced residual stress in resin transfer molding process

A three-dimensional finite element analysis of process-induced residual stress in resin transfer molding (RTM) process is presented. The finite element method (FEM) was employed to solve the coupled equations involved in the transient heat transfer and the cure kinetics of the resin, and the distributions of internal temperature and cure degree of the composite at any instant time were obtained. The self-consistent field micro-mechanics model was used to predict the cure-dependent mechanical properties of the composites. Thermal expansion and cure shrinkage were included in the analysis. The thermo-elastic mechanical governing equations were solved using the incremental stress-strain relationship based FEM and the residual stress development was predicted. The present results were validated by the comparisons with the pertinent literature. The numerical example of a half cylinder was presented. The results show that it is necessary to carry out the three-dimensional analysis due to the complex distributions of temperatures, cure degrees and process-induced stress for thick parts, which can be predicted at any point within composite structures in the present analysis.