Optimization of cure uniformity for thick-section composite materials before and after gelation based on thermo-fluid-solid multi-physics coupling

doi:10.19936/j.cnki.2096-8000.20250928.007

Abstract

Abstract: To address quality defects arising from non-uniform temperature and cure degree fields before and after gelation in the curing process of thick-section composite materials, a multi-objective optimization approach for cure uniformity is developed. This approach utilizes a thermo-fluid-solid multi-physics coupled finite element model in conjunction with optimized Latin hypercube sampling (OLHS) to construct a radial basis function (RBF) surrogate model. The goal is to optimize the uniformity of temperature and cure degree gradients before and after gelation. Compared to the original design, the optimization results demonstrate a decrease in temperature gradients of 51.7% and 66.5% before and after gelation, respectively, and a reduction in cure degree gradients of 33.3% and 63.6%, respectively, with only a 6.7% increase in total curing time. The maximum temperature peak during the entire curing process was reduced by 8.8%. These results indicate that the proposed method can significantly improve the uniformity of curing before and after gelation.

Key words: thick-section composite materials, multi-physics coupling, cure uniformity, gelation point, multi-objective optimization

CLC Number:

TB332

HUANG Shunfeng, LIU Wenbo, WANG Peipei, YANG Fan, WANG Rongguo, HU Kejun. Optimization of cure uniformity for thick-section composite materials before and after gelation based on thermo-fluid-solid multi-physics coupling[J]. COMPOSITES SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, 2025, 0(9): 47-54.

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