Influence of Technological and Design Factors on the Temperature Distribution in a Composite Being Moulded

Abstract

The present advancement of technologies for manufacturing composite products and a wide range of composite materials make it possible to manufacture products of various shapes and sizes, while ensuring their high quality and excellent electrical characteristics. However, the temperature-time regimes for moulding composite products used at most enterprises are quite energy and time consuming. Moreover, thermal residual stresses and strains in the obtained product can make its further use impossible. The aim of the article is to develop a technique for determining the temperature difference across the thickness of the package of a polymer composite material being moulded with regard to technological and design factors. Analytical dependences that allow calculating the temperature difference across the thickness of the composite package during moulding have been obtained. The solution of the thermal problem was reduced to determining the temperature field in the product being moulded. The analysis revealed the dependence of the temperature field on the characteristics and properties of the material being moulded and the characteristics of the main and auxiliary tool. To solve the problem of thermal conductivity, the distribution of the temperature field in the main tool, product being moulded and auxiliary tool was calculated. In this case, the boundary conditions at the joints were the same for the contacting elements. An analysis of the factors affecting a temperature gradient across the composite package, which were included in the obtained dependences, was carried out. Moreover, possible ways to reduce the unevenness of the temperature field by technological and design methods were considered. The results obtained made it possible to reduce the temperature difference across the thickness of the composite package being moulded without additional production costs.