Transient Two-Dimensional Numerical Modeling of Asymmetric Curing Process

Modeling of a heat-activated coupling process of fiberglass reinforced epoxy composite pipe with a copper nickel 90/10 (Cu 90% Ni 10%) alloy pipe was investigated in this study. A nonlinear-coupled two-dimensional heat diffusion model was used to capture the essentials of in-situ thermal transport during the curing process through the thickness of the prepreg wrapping layers. The resulting nonlinear boundary value problem was solved using an Alternating Direction Implicit (ADI) finite difference model (FDM). Transient temperature distributions and degree of cure were predicted for the prepreg layers with and without a heating source at the side of the alloy pipe. A reasonable agreement was found between the predicted temperatures and the experimental results. Measures to improve the curing quality of prepreg layers were discussed based on the modeling results.© 2002 ASME