Pultrusion die pressure response to changes in die inlet geometry

Abstract Pultrusion is a process of manufacturing composites that requires a high resin pressure rise in the tapered die inlet region. A sufficiently high pressure rise is important for a good quality pultruded product, thereby necessitating a study of the mechanisms affecting the die inlet pressure rise. Various process control parameters affect the resin pressure rise in the die inlet. The geometry of the tapered die inlet region can have a significant effect on the pressure rise in the pultrusion die. In this study a finite element model was developed to predict this pressure rise as a function of the tapered die inlet geometry. The composite matrix being pultruded was modeled on the assumptions of Darcy's laws for flow in porous media. A Galerkin's weighted residual based finite element technique was used to solve the governing equations. The pressure rise in the tapered inlet region of the die, as well as in the straight portion of the die, is predicted by this finite element model. Circular, parabolic, and wedge shaped die inlets have been modeled to compare their shapes on the resin pressure rise in the pultrusion die. Different angles for wedge shapes, different radii for circular shapes, and different foci for parabolic shapes were modeled to predict the influence of varying key geometrical parameters for each die inlet contour on pressure rise. The finite element model developed provides insight as to how to design the die inlet to produce a suitable pressure rise in the pultrusion die inlet.