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Non-isothermal mold filling and curing experiments of liquid composite molding were carried out in this work. To compare the experimental results with a previously developed numerical simulation model, measurements of volumetric heat transfer coefficient between the resin and the fiber, and characterization of resin kinetics and rheological changes were also conducted. Combined with the previously measured fiber preform permeability, the numerical model provided a good prediction of temperature profiles during molding for a polyurethane/glass fiber composite.

A numerical model for non-isothermal mold filling and curing simulation in thin cavities with preplaced fiber mats was developed based on the control volume method. Both lumped temperature system (i.e. local thermal equilibrium between the resin and the fiber) and unlumped temperature system (i.e. thermal non-equilibrium locally) were considered. A Lagrangian coordinate system was used in the flow front region to improve the energy transfer calculation. Several molding simulation results were presented to show the effect of fiber mat presence (in the mold cavity) on the inlet pressure and temperaturedistribution.

This work presents four different numerical approaches to analyze heat transfer in the mold halves. The formulations, numerical methods and simulated results of each method are presented and compared to the experimental results based on a metal (aluminum) and a non-metal (reinforced epoxy) molds. Several examples are also presented to show the importance of tool heat transfer analysis in reactive processing.