Analysis of cure in composites processing

Finite element analysis is a general numerical tool for solving the field equations of engineering practice, and this paper demonstrates its use in modeling the nonisothermal cure of pultruded composite material. A very simple grid is used in this case to model a narrow strip of material, and this grid is then solved using a time-stepping transient algorithm to simulate the passage of the strip along the pultruder die. As time proceeds, heat is conducted into the strip from the heated boundaries at the die walls, and cure proceeds at a rate dependent on the local temperature. The computer model can be used to minimize the time needed for sufficient cure, and helps avoid such processing errors as undercure or thermal degradation.