LAUSR

Voids formed during liquid composite molding significantly degenerates mechanical performances of the final products, accurate prediction of the formation and size of void has significance for the parameter design of LCM. However, the 3D simulation method of void formation, in which the complex interconnecting of pores can be fully considered, has not been developed. In order to analyze the meso-scale-void formation process in full dimensionality, the mechanisms of dual-scale flow and void formation are analyzed firstly in this paper, then the mathematical models for the two-phase inter-tow and intra-tow flow are established based on the VOF theory. During numerical solving, the 3D geometry model is used and the momentum source of capillary force is updated in real-time to guarantee the simulation accuracy. The simulated formation process and size of meso-scale-void are compared with experimental results to verify the effectiveness and correctness of the developed method.