Prediction of temperature distribution during curing thick thermoset composite laminates

Abstract

A 3-D transient heat transfer finite element (FE) analysis was performed to simulate the curing process of thick thermoset composites. The simulated temperature was compared with the available experimental data to check the validity of the analysis. The influence of thickness of composite laminates on the temperature distribution was investigated, and how the size of laminates affects the inside temperature was also discussed. The results indicate that the laminate thickness rather than the laminate size has a significant influence on temperature distribution, and the 3-D analysis offers more accurate predictions than the 1-D analysis.