Cure simulation for a thick glass/epoxy laminate

유리섬유 강화 후판 복합재료의 경화공정 해석

During the curing process of thick glass/epoxy laminates, a substantial amount of temperature lag and overshoot at the center of the laminates is usually experienced due to the large thickness and low thermal conductivity of the glass/epoxy composites. Also, it requires a longer time for full and uniform consolidation. In this work, temperature, degree of cure and consolidation of a 20mm thick unidirectional glass/epoxy laminate were investigated using an experiment and a 3-dimentional numerical analysis considering the exothermic reaction. From the experimental and numerical results, it was found that the experimentally obtained temperature profile agreed well with the numerical one and the cure cycle recommended by the prepreg manufacturer should be modified to prevent a temperature overshoot and to obtain full consolidation.