Modeling the reactive PA6 flow for LCM processes

Abstract

Fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites have shown to be attractive for industry as they can be reused, reshaped, welded and repaired, while keeping mechanical properties on par with thermoset composites. Since thermoplastics usually have high melt viscosities unsuitable for liquid composite molding processes, in-situ synthesis of PA6 from ε-caprolactam is considered. Its reactive mix has low viscosity which allows impregnation. However, the coupled crystallization and polymerization affects the resin viscosity and its flow is altered by the dual-scale permeability of the fiber preform. Thus, to predict the local differences in the thermoplastics properties, a coupled polymerization crystallization model needs to be integrated in the LCM processing simulation at representative scales. This study aims to propose a reliable simulation of the resin flow through a fibrous preform. Hence, viscosity measurements on the reactive mix are achieved using a rheometer with parallel-plate geometry, aiming to associate a viscosity model with the Hillier coupled polymerization-crystallization model previously determined by Vicard. The full chemorheological model will then be integrated into a simulation of LCM process in OpenFOAM®, an open source CFD software in order to follow the extent of the synthesis in the resin flow during the process. As a future work, simulations including microscale tow information extracted from a real textile specimen will permit to investigate the effect of permeability and double scale porosity in fibrous preforms on the final polymerization rate and crystallinity.