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A Review of Thermoplastic Resin Transfer Molding: Process Modeling and Simulation
Tatyana Ageyeva1, Ilya Sibikin2, József Gábor Kovács3
1Department of Polymer Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Műegyetem rkp. 3, Budapest H-1111, Hungary. ageyevat@pt.bme.hu.
Polymers
|September 27, 2019
Summary
Recyclable polymer composites are crucial. This review models anionic ring-opening polymerization (AROP) of ε-caprolactam (ε-CL) for reactive thermoplastics like PA-6, enabling advanced composite manufacturing.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- The polymer composites industry faces significant recycling challenges due to prevalent non-recyclable thermoset matrices.
- Increasing production volumes necessitate sustainable solutions, driving interest in recyclable thermoplastic matrices.
- High viscosity of traditional thermoplastics hinders their use in high-performance composites, limiting impregnation processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and summarize recent advancements in modeling the anionic ring-opening polymerization (AROP) of ε-caprolactam (ε-CL).
- To explore the application of these models in optimizing thermoplastic resin transfer molding (T-RTM) for advanced composites.
- To identify current trends and future research directions in reactive thermoplastic composite manufacturing.
Main Methods:
- Mathematical modeling of reaction kinetics for ε-CL polymerization.
- Modeling of pressure-volume-temperature (PVT) behavior during polymerization.
- Review of simulation tools and approaches for AROP and composite processing.
Main Results:
- Progress in modeling reaction kinetics provides a foundation for process control.
- Understanding PVT behavior is essential for managing polymerization and composite formation.
- Simulation tools are advancing the development of T-RTM for PA-6 composites.
Conclusions:
- Modeling plays a critical role in optimizing the AROP of ε-CL for advanced composite production.
- Further research in modeling is needed to fully realize the potential of T-RTM for recyclable composites.
- This review highlights key trends and future research avenues for reactive thermoplastic composites.
