Simulation of Curing Deformation in Curved Composite Plates via Pultrusion Based on Thermal-Chemical-Structural Coupling.

Abstract

Curing deformation of curved pultruded composites is mainly induced by asymmetric temperature fields and accumulated residual stress during the molding process. To tackle this problem, a finite element simulation framework incorporating a curvature-corrected thermochemical model and path-dependent constitutive relationship was established in this study. Taguchi orthogonal experiments combined with analysis of variance (ANOVA) were employed to quantitatively evaluate the effects of process parameters on residual stress. Among these parameters, the bending height was identified as a statistically significant factor (F = 8.827, <i>p</i> < 0.05). The optimal process parameters were determined to be a bending height of 20 mm, a heating rate of 10 °C/min, a holding time of 16 s, and a pultrusion speed of 70 cm/min. Under these conditions, the residual stress was minimized to 1205.6 Pa, representing a 2.79% reduction compared with the optimal group in the orthogonal experiments. The proposed simulation framework and optimized process parameters provide a solid theoretical foundation and practical technical guidance for the precise control of curing deformation in curved pultruded composite components.