Methodology Applied to Integrate a Viscosity Model for Liquid Composites Molding Simulation in PAM-RTM®

This work was performed in the frame of the european project INFUCOMP. This paper focuses on the development of a viscosity model for the epoxy systems Hexcel RTM6 and Cycom 890RTM, and the associated experimental data sets. A new modelling approach was developed based on the use of reference viscosity as a state variable instead of the conventionally used degree of cure. The new approach focuses on the time-temperature window of infusion processes, thus yielding higher accuracy results and a more efficient representation of rheological behaviour. Furthermore, the model can be integrated analytically under isothermal conditions, which carries advantages with regard to both parameter estimation and implementation within the context of process simulation. The model was then implemented in PAM-RTM simulation software. To do so, not only the aging of the resin had to be taken into account, but also the transport of this information with the flow. Last verification simulation tests were performed with LCM simulations.