Injection molding of short fiber - Elastomer composites: II. Numerical simulation and experimental study

Numerical simulation and experimental study for injection molding and fiber orientation distribution of short fiber-thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer composites were done. The results showed that the fiber orientation distribution was mainly dependent on the shape of the cavity, fiber contents and molding condition. In extensional flow fiber tended to perpendicularity to the streamline, while in shear flow and convergent flow fiber tended to parallel to the streamline in the thin wall caving. The results of experiment and numerical simulation of fiber orientation were similar, which showed that the academic model was feasible.