Fiber orientation in melt confluent process for reinforced injection molded part

Fiber orientation in reinforced polymer parts can greatly affect the appearance and mechanical properties. The fiber orientation process during a confluent process of two or more strands of melt in a mold cavity is discussed. Different from common polymer melts with no reinforced material, a novel model describing the confluent process for fiber-reinforced melt is established. Through finite element simulation, fiber orientation and its accumulation state in different layers of plastic parts are obtained. 3D surface morphologies of the confluent region caused by fiber orientation and distribution are tested in the laboratory, and the relationships between the mold temperature and the appearance of the confluent region are presented as well. By using SEM to observe the fiber orientation induced in different mold temperatures, the effect of the fiber orientation in confluent region process on the impact strength of the resultant parts is discussed. Testing results prove that the established model is effective in explaining the outcome of the confluent process for fiber-reinforced materials.