Inverse algorithm for optimal processing of composite materials

During thermoset composite materials processing, the chemical reaction is highly exothermic and because of the low thermal conductivity of the material, significant temperature and state of cure gradients can be generated in thick parts. This creates non-uniform stresses that provoke defects. We propose to control the transformation by monitoring the temperature of the mold walls. A general inverse analysis based on the conjugate gradient method of minimization associated to the adjoint equations is used. After having detailed the method, we propose two examples. The first one presents an optimal cycle to obtain uniform conversion at the end of the curing of an epoxy/glass-fiber composite. The second example is concerned with the control of the temperature variations during the curing of a polyester/glass-fiber composite. The method is experimentally validated and proves to be very powerful and flexible. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.