Simulating tape resin infiltration during thermoset pultrusion process

The thermoset tape pultrusion is a widely adopted manufacturing process to produce long, constant cross-section composite structural parts. For high volume production, low cost can be achieved by maximizing the production rate which is a function of the material and process parameters, more specifically the rate of resin infiltration and resin cure. During resin infiltration, the resin saturates the dry reinforcement either under positive pressure in the pressure chamber, or, by the action of capillary and surface forces, within the resin bath. In either case, the saturation must be completed as the tape is squeezed into the final cross-sectional form at the entrance of the heated mold where the resin will be cured to form the composite part. This paper models the resin infiltration process during pultrusion, by modifying the pre-existing simulation tool for liquid molding processes. The formulated capability can be used not only to optimize the impregnation dynamics within the pressure chamber, but can also be used to predict the required forces for the selected pulling rate. The proposed model does allow one to handle a variety of tape cross-sections, not just rectangular prisms.