Resin Transfer Molding for Car Body Parts: An Integrated Approach Using CAE Methodology

This paper describes an integrated CAE approach used for structural anal ysis and numerical process simulation to design and develop an experimental composite car floor made using the Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) process. CAE tools have been used to evaluate the mechanical behavior of the component, to select the correct material and the reinforcement loading, and to evaluate flow conditions during RTM filling. Good agreement has been finally found from the comparison between numerical and experimental results.