A manta-ray-inspired bionic curing mold for autoclave process of composite manufacturing

The temperature distribution of the mold is directly linked to the manufacturing quality of the composite component. In this paper, a bionic mold based on the analysis of a manta ray in swimming is developed to improve the thermal performance of the mold during the autoclave curing process. The bionic mold has fewer frames and better air permeability, and the mold weight is decreased by 42.95% while the stiffness is proved to satisfy the requirement. The model of the autoclave curing process which is verified by experiments is established to carry out the thermal analysis of the mold. Results show that the air velocity in the mold is increased with the bionic design, which can reduce not only the maximum temperature difference of the mold plate (-30.35%) but also the percentage of low-temperature areas. Besides, the heating rate and the heat preservation time of the mold are also improved.