Abstract
Fiber reinforced plastic parts manufactured by injection molding have heterogeneous stiffness and strength behavior due to the molding process influence on the fiber orientations. This paper presents a methodology for determining the process-dependent anisotropic and inhomogeneous mechanical properties of injection-molded parts using a thickness-wise layered homogenization technique. This technique produces an equivalent laminated meso-scale representation at any location in the part and enables point-wise application of the existing laminated plate and shell theories. The methodology is demonstrated by illustrating property variations in edgegated and center-gated plaques. Spatial variations of elastic moduli, shear modulus, and Poisson's ratio are modeled. The model can be conveniently embedded within finite element structural analyses accounting for the process-dependent material heterogeneities within the structure.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 98-113 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Polymer Composites |
Volume | 26 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 2005 |