Process modeling of composites by resin transfer molding: Sensitivity analysis for isothermal considerations

The resin transfer molding manufacturing process consists of either of two considerations, namely, the fluid flow analysis through a porous fiber preform where the location of the flow front is of fundamental importance, and the second is the combined flow/heat transfer analysis. For preliminary design purposes and the case of relatively large molds, isothermal considerations seem fairly representative of the physical situation. The continuous sensitivity formulations are developed for the process modeling of composites manufactured by RTM to predict, analyze, and optimize the manufacturing process. Attention is focused here on developments for isothermal flow simulations, and illustrative examples are presented for sensitivity analysis applications which help serve as a design tool in the process modeling stages.