ABSTRACT
The wet filament winding process was modeled using a commercial finite element code. Techniques for developing finite element models for wet filament winding and tape laying were developed. In wet filament winding of thermosetting matrix composites, there are several key processes: the build up of the cylinder layer by layer, the nonlinear fiber bed compaction, the thermal-kinetics of the resin system, and the residual strains after curing. These features were implemented in a commercial finite element code by developing specialized subroutines. Specifically, user defined subroutines to track the fiber bed compaction (and fiber volume fraction), the resin cure and the resin viscosity were created. A unique mixing algorithm to describe bleed through of high viscosity resin from previously wound layers into the topmost layer was developed. This algorithm along with a nonlinear stiffness model for the fiber bed were essential for obtaining accurate prediction of the final fiber volume fraction in each layer. Full scale (approximately 1 m diameter) and subscale (approximately 0.5 m diameter) cylinders were wound under various process conditions. There was excellent agreement between model predictions and experimental data.
