Patent ID: 7096083

Claim:
A design support apparatus for a resin mold product made of thermosetting resin, comprising: a flow analysis means which analyzes a flow of thermosetting resin injected into a resin filling cavity to mold said resin mold product, using a finite difference method or a finite element method; a residual strain calculation means which calculates residual strain of the thermosetting resin after heat shrinkage of the thermosetting resin injected into the resin filling cavity to mold said resin mold product; and a strength analysis means which analyzes strength of said resin mold product, using a finite element method; wherein: said flow analysis means indicates a reaction rate model by using a reaction rate A; wherein A is an index of reaction progress extent whose initial value at the reaction is 0, and the change rate of A (∂A/∂t) in the initial period is relatively high in comparison to a rate during times after the initial period, and the reaction rate A is saturated toward 1 with lapse of time; and calculates viscosity η, coefficient of elasticity E, and linear curing strain component ε1 by replacing the changes of each component with change of the reaction rate A; said flow analysis means calculates a temperature, a coefficient of elasticity and a strain component of the thermosetting resin at a time of heat curing, for each of first three-dimensional solid elements used for flow analysis and gives the calculated result to the residual strain calculation means; said residual strain calculation means uses correspondence between each of second three-dimensional solid elements used for strength analysis by said strength analysis means and each of said first three-dimensional solid elements, and the temperature, the coefficient of elasticity and the strain component calculated for each of said first three-dimensional solid elements by said flow analysis means, in order to set a temperature, a coefficient of elasticity and a strain component at the time of heat curing for each of the second three-dimensional solid elements, and calculates residual strain after the heat shrinkage for each of said second three-dimensional solid elements; and said strength analysis means sets the residual strain after the heat shrinkage, which is calculated by said residual strain calculation means, to said each of said second three-dimensional solid elements, and analyzes the strength of said resin mold product.