Journal
POWDER TECHNOLOGY
Volume 404, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.powtec.2022.117481
Keywords
Polymer-matrix composites; Glass flakes; Process simulation; Injection molding
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This study developed a method for predicting the orientation of plate-like particles in injection-molded products with low filler content. The simulation results were validated through experiments, and the potential application of the simulation in the manufacturing of metallic-looking products was demonstrated.
This study developed a method for predicting the orientation of plate-like particles within an injection-molded product at low filler content. We derived a numerical model that describes the motion of a plate-like particle and combined it with a mold-filling simulation to calculate the motion of individual flakes during molding. To validate the simulation results, a plaque was injection-molded with polypropylene and 2 wt% glass flakes. X-ray micro-computed tomography analysis was then employed to obtain the orientation (the normal vector) for each flake. The simulation reproduced the through-thickness orientation within the plaque by using a corrected flake aspect ratio. Also, numerical investigation revealed that the orientation is little affected by the in-plane flake shape if the aspect ratio remains the same. A useful application of the simulation will be the prediction of appearance defects caused by the flake orientation misalignment that occur in metallic-looking products molded using thermoplastics containing metallic-flake pigments. (c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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