Heat transfer and reaction issues in liquid composite molding

Abstract This paper surveys current issues in the modeling of heat transfer and chemical reaction in resin transfer molding and structural reaction injection molding. The discussion is organized around four steps of modeling: incorporating the physical phenomena into a model, gathering material data, analyzing the model to provide physical understanding, and solving the model for relevant cases. The local volume averaging approach is summarized as a method for deriving appropriate balance equations. The resulting equations are analyzed using dimensional analysis, and analytical solutions are presented for several special cases. These include steady heat transfer for small and large Graetz numbers, and a transient solution for heat transfer during filling at large Graetz numbers. This latter solution explains why preheating the fibers does not heat the resin uniformly. Numerical solution methods are discussed, with emphasis on upwinding techniques for hyperbolic problems. The paper concludes with a summary of research achievements and needs.