Flow-induced fiber orientation in injection molded flax fiber reinforced polypropylene

A thorough experimental study of flax fiber orientation in a plate processed by injection molding is presented. The state of orientation is described by orientation tensors and partly by frequency distribution diagrams. Composite stiffness is predicted by use of a modified classical laminate theory including unidirectional models and orientation averaging. Comparison of the measured and calculated modulus in tension shows good agreement.