Dynamic core movements during liquid moulding of sandwich structures

A generic mixed FE-SPH method to address hydro-mechanical coupling in liquid composite moulding processes

“…There is no need for an extra adhesive bonding step compared to other sandwich manufacturing processes. During sandwich manufacturing using RTM, the pressure field developing while saturating the fibrereinforced skins can lead to large shifting [1,2] or compression [2,3] of the core as found in experiments. When such injections are performed at constant flow rate, it has been shown that measuring pressure at the resin inlet can be an appropriate sensor for the detection of hydro-mechanical coupling during sandwich manufacturing [3].…”

Foam Core Deformation During Liquid Molding of Sandwich Structures: Modeling and Experimental Analysis

“…However, the rapid manufacturing of sandwich structures by liquid molding introduces potential manufacturing defects that will decrease the part quality and performance. Al-Hamdam et al [2] reported dimensional control and thermal stability of foam cores, outgassing during molding and post curing operations, development of a satisfactory skin-core interface, control of exothermic temperatures during curing and core movement during impregnation as some of the potential problems that could cause defects. Their work focused on the core movement which they encountered during the manufacturing of foam cored automotive prototype spoiler.…”

Experimental and numerical investigations of pressure-controlled resin transfer molding (PC-RTM)

“…In contrary, the pressure-controlled RTM (PC-RTM) process prevents high pressure peaks during any step of the process [1,2]. This can be used to manufacture sandwich parts, where it is essential that the cavity pressure does not exceed a specific value to avoid defects like infiltration or crushing of the core material [3][4][5][6].…”