Numerical simulation and experimental verification of the filling stage in injection molding

The linear low-density polyethylene melt is described by the modified Cross model, the dependence of melt viscosity on temperature incorporated with the Arrhenius equation, and the Moldflow second-order model in this investigation. The mass, momentum conservation, and constitutive equations are discretized and solved by using the iterative stabilized fractional step algorithm along with the CrankNicolson implicit difference scheme. The energy conservation equation is discretized with the characteristic Galerkin approach. The free surface of molten polymer flow front is tracked by the arbitrary LagrangianEulerian (ALE) method. It is demonstrated that good agreement of the numerical predictions given by the proposed ALE method with the results obtained by the injection short-shot experiments is achieved in the locations and shape of the melt front. Furthermore, when the melt front completely reaches the wall of the mold cavity, the horizontal velocity distribution of counterflow at the section near the finally filling wall is exhibited in the present simulation. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. (C) 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers