A small-strain model to simulate the curing of thermosets

Hossain, M., Possart, G. and Steinmann, P. (2009) A small-strain model to simulate the curing of thermosets. Computational Mechanics, 43(6), pp. 769-779. (doi: 10.1007/s00466-008-0344-5)

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Abstract

This contribution presents a newly developed phenomenological model to describe the curing process of thermosets undergoing small strain deformations. The governing equations are derived from a number of physical and chemical presuppositions and details of the numerical implementation within the finite element method are given. The curing of thermosets is a very complex process involving a series of chemical reactions which result in the conversion of liquid low molecular weight monomer mixtures into highly cross-linked solid macromolecular structures. This phase transition from a viscous fluid to a viscoelastic solid can be modelled by a constitutive relation which is based on a temporal evolution of shear modulus and relaxation time. Some numerical examples demonstrate the capability of the model to correctly represent the evolution of elastic and inelastic material properties as well as the volume shrinkage taking place during the curing process.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:Financial support by the Rhineland–Palatinate Graduate School ‘Engineering Materials and Processes’ as well as by the German Research Foundation within the collaborative project PAK 108 are gratefully acknowledged.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Steinmann, Professor Paul
Authors: Hossain, M., Possart, G., and Steinmann, P.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Infrastructure and Environment
Journal Name:Computational Mechanics
Publisher:Springer
ISSN:0178-7675
ISSN (Online):1432-0924
Published Online:22 October 2008
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