Simulation and experiment of the degree of cure during CFRP pultrusion

The degree of cure and temperature are coupled during the pultrusion of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). The models of unsteady temperature field and curing were established according to the curing kinetics and heat transfer theory. Kinetic parameters needed for simulation were obtained from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiment. The finite element method, finite different method and indirect decoupling method based on ANSYS were implemented to simulate degree-of-cure profiles in CFRP during pultrusion. A fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor, encapsulated in the aluminum capillary, was employed to monitor the temperature of CFRP on real-time from which the real-time degree of cure was calculated. The degree of cure of CFRP was also measured by using Sorbitic extraction. It is found that the simulated results are in good agreement with the experimental ones.