Experimental and numerical study of tool effect on curing deformation for the composite missile structure

Composite missile structure is complicated in shape and fabricated by soft-film-assisted Resin Transfer Molding (RTM). The cylindrical tool of composite missile structure was studied in the paper. A completed method of analyzing and estimating the tool deformation was presented. The analysis models and three-dimensional finite element method (FEM) for cure process of composite integrated structure were developed. Thermal deformation and cure shrink were considered in analysis models and the evolution of residual stresses in the entire cure process was studied. The strain and temperature fields in the cylinder-shaped mold of composite missile structure were measured respectively using optical fiber grating and thermocouple. The experimental results show a good agreement with the finite element analysis. The deformation of the tool is added to the composite missile simulation model as a displacement loading to analyze the effects of the tool's curing deformation on the part. The results are valuable for the tool design, tool deformation control, and elimination for the composite missile structure.