A comprehensive numerical workflow to simulate post-manufacture shape distortions in composite materials

A comprehensive numerical workflow to simulate post-manufacture shape distortions in composite materials

Yvan DENIS, Nihad SIDDIG, Santiago MONTAGUD, Clément FREYSSINET, Tanguy MORO, Sibin SASEENDRAN, Estelle CASTANET

Abstract. The aim of this work is to study the behavior of a composite part on the scale of the manufacturing process, to understand its response to production contingencies. Given the trial-error costs of this type of material, a numerical approach was chosen. To achieve this, a numerical workflow including all the phases of the part manufacture is developed. To preserve the history of hazard propagation through all the manufacturing steps, it was necessary to consider all of them. The study presented here will focus solely on the LCM (Liquid Composite Molding) processes through the RTM (Resin Transfer Molding) process following the AFP (Automated Fiber Placement) strip deposition and will consider four random variables. First, the randomness of fiber orientation during the AFP deposition which can deviate from -1 to +1 degrees. Secondly, three random variables are considered for the RTM process itself: the injection pressure and temperature of both the resin and the mold. These four hazards will form the starting point for a sensitivity study to be presented later. The digital workflow is constituted of several software programs, with exchanges and communications provided by Python routines. Physical aspects are also considered in this study by updating the resin viscosity and cure kinetics as a function of the temperature and the permeability values as a function of the orientation.

Keywords
Composite, Modeling, Shape Distortion, Workflow, Manufacturing Process

Published online 5/7/2025, 11 pages
Copyright © 2025 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA

Citation: Yvan DENIS, Nihad SIDDIG, Santiago MONTAGUD, Clément FREYSSINET, Tanguy MORO, Sibin SASEENDRAN, Estelle CASTANET, A comprehensive numerical workflow to simulate post-manufacture shape distortions in composite materials, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 54, pp 391-401, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644903599-43

The article was published as article 43 of the book Material Forming

Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.

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