BEM computation of 3D Stokes flow including moving front

Abstract : Liquid composite molding (LCM) includes all composite-manufacturing methods, where the liquid state resin is forced into the dry preformed reinforcement. In this study, numerical simulation of the resin infusion is presented based on a coupled approach involving Boundary Element Method (BEM) and Level Set Method. The method developed can handle stationary and transient flows by solving the Stokes equations. The numerical results on a square packed set of fibers show excellent agreement with the analytical model. The comparison between experimental and simulation results of flow front patterns revealed a fair accordance.