Friction Forces between Sheet Molding Compound Charge and Mold Cavity Surface in Compression Molding

In this study, three relevant friction forces: constant friction force, hydrodynamic friction force and coulomb friction force are considered between sheet molding compound (SMC) charge and contact surface of the mold. The power law model is implemented to propose a model for prediction of hydrodynamic friction as the dominant friction of the SMC compression molding. The proposed model is simple and does not need any extra experimental parameters. Finally, a model has been developed to predict the molding pressure under non-isothermal conditions. The obtained results of the model are in a very good agreement with the experimental data.