To ensure that a multi-particle model for reinforcing fillers is able to accurately reproduce fiber orientation evolution of injection molded parts, long fiber-reinforced Polypropylene samples were subjected to a well-defined simple shear flow in a Sliding Plate Rheometer. This geometry ensures a rectilinear shearing action which leads to a simple shear flow and overcomes edge effects. A fully characterized microstructure is required to reproduce initial conditions in the mechanistic model simulation. Therefore, in-plane as well as thickness-wise microstructure was determined.
The initial analysis of the microstructure showed that all three key properties (length, orientation, volume fraction) experience significant change after the fibers have traveled along the flow front. The fiber orientation evolution, as well as Fiber length through the thickness, are used as an input for the mechanistic model. The computational cluster micro-structure will then be tailored to match the IM plaque.
Figure 1
Full Microstructure Analysis of IM Plaque
Figure 2
Computational fiber cluster (mechanistic model)