RTMFLOT - An Integrated Software Environment for the Computer Simulation of the Resin Transfer Molding Process

The computer simulation of the injection phase in resin transfer molding (RTM) can help the mold designer to properly position the injection ports and the air vents, to select an adequate injection pressure, and to optimize the cycle time. The purpose of this article is to present RTMFLOT, an integrated software environment especially designed for the numerical simulation of the resin transfer molding (RTM) process. The main program modules are DATAFLOT, to evaluate the permeability of the preform, MESHFLOT, to produce a finite element mesh of the mold, FLOT, to compute the succes sive positions of the resin front, VISUFLOT, to visualize the numerical results, and HEATFLOT, to analyze the heat transfer phenomenon. The application of RTMFLOT to the design of a lawnmower hood is described in order to illustrate the various stages of the simulation process.