Analysis | thermoplastic composites
Moldex3D tool enhances fi bre fi lling simulation
The latest version of Mold- ex3D simulation software adds a Fibre Concentration Prediction tool, which the developers claim enables more precise prediction of fi lling, warpage and struc- tural strength of fi bre reinforced injection moulded plastic components.
Today’s focus on high strength, low weight parts has seen the application of glass reinforced plastics grow and, alongside that, the need for reliable simulation tools. According to Moldex3D,
three key parameters affect the fi lling behavior, warpage, and product structural strength of any fi bre reinforced plastic component: fi bre orientation, fi bre length (determined by fi bre breakage prediction) and fi bre concen- tration. Fibre orientation and fi bre
length has been extensively studied over the years, the
software fi rm says, and CAE simulation technology is able to provide good product warpage and mechanical strength predictions. However, fi bre concentration has been found to be a more infl uential factor in fi lling behavior as a higher fi bre concentration ratio results in a higher melt viscosity. This has a negative effect on fl ow of the polymer melt.
As long ago as 1956, a
derivative formula was determined by Maron and Pierce that described the effect of fi lling material concentration on relative viscosity in a suspension fl uid. This formula was validated in 1980 by Kitano et al’s experi- ments on glass and carbon fi bres in suspension (illus- trated graphically in Figure 1). This “suspension model”
has now been integrated into the Fibre Concentration Prediction tool in the latest Moldex3D R13 release making it the only simulation product to
Figure 1: The experiment results on different fi llers including glass fi bres and carbon fi bres show consistency with the Maron and Pierce formula (Ref: T. Kitano, T. Kataoka, and T. Shirota, 1980)
be able to offer comprehensive injection moulding prediction based on fi bre orientation, fi bre length, and fi bre concentration. The company claims the new simulation capability plugs the gap in fi bre fl ow prediction that existed in previous CAE analysis software.
Moldex3D says the accuracy of this new simulation
capability has been validated by comparing its simulation results with the experiment results of Vélez-García et al published in 2012. Figure 2 shows both simulation and experiment results and
indicates that fi bre concentra- tion distribution affects polymer melt viscosity and directly infl uences fi lling velocity.
Figure 2: The geometry of the model and the fi bre concentration in the plate area (left). Comparison of the experiment results and Moldex3D simulation results (right) shows high consistency
www.injectionworld.com
According to Moldex 3D, the new capability will enable users to carry out simulation tasks on fi bre reinforced plastic product designs more easily and with greater accuracy. It says this will speed up the process of product design, improve optimisation of lightweight designs and shorten time-to-market.
www.moldex3D.com
January/February 2016 | INJECTION WORLD 33
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