Cure Simulation of Hemp Fiber Acrylic Based Composites during Sheet Molding Process

In the present study, a new environmentally friendly thermoset resin was used to manufacture hemp fiber acrylic composites by sheet molding process for automotive applications. A finite difference method was applied to predict the cure behavior and temperature variation of hemp fiber acrylic based composites during the process. Dynamic Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was employed to determine the kinetic parameters for the curing reaction at different heating rates. It was found the experimental and predicted values are in good agreement at the lower heating rate. The thermophysical properties of the resin, fiber and composite were obtained to use in the model. The temperature profile and the degree of cure of the composite with 40% resin and 60% fiber were simulated and a comparison of numerical results with known experimental data confirms the approximate validity of the model.