Effect of system of initiators on the process cycle of nonisothermal resin transfer molding – Numerical investigation

The role of initiators with different reactivities on the process cycle of nonisothermal resin transfer molding (RTM) was examined using the numerical simulation. A new process model was developed based on flow, heat and mass transfer equations combined with an appropriate mechanistic kinetics model which elucidates the functions of the initiators in the system. The process cycle of RTM with both single initiator and dual-initiator (combination of two initiators) was analyzed. The numerical simulations revealed that the single initiator with high reactivity reduces the cycle time, but there is a risk of incomplete mold filling and nonuniform temperature distribution. For dual-initiator system different scenarios of initiators injection including premixed initiators, switching the initiator at a given cavity filled fraction and ramped injection of highly reactive initiator were examined. It was found that the dual-initiator system leads to reduced cycle time and improved temperature distribution with no risk of incomplete filling.