THE EFFECTS OF WELD GEOMETRY AND GLASS-FIBER ORIENTATION ON THE MECHANICAL PERFORMANCE OF JOINTS - FART II: KINETICS OF GLASS-FIBER ORIENTATION AND MECHANICAL PERFORMANCE

摘要

The mechanical performance of injection molded short glass-fiber reinforced thermoplastic components is anisotropic and is highly dependent on the fiber orientation and distribution. Similarly, the bulk and short and long-term mechanical performance at the weld is influenced by these fibers and the specific welding technology used as related to melt-pool formation. The purpose of this analysis is to show: 1. the short-fiber orientation (analytical and simulation data) and distribution at the pre-welded bead, ribs and wall areas; 2. advantages of SigmaSoft injection molding simulation software, which utilizes full three dimensional fiber representation of any molded part; 3. the mechanical performance of welds with optimized geometry (US Patent 6,447,866). Findings on the mechanical performance of butt-joints with different designs and localized geometry will help designers and technicians with plastic part design optimization. In a previous ANTEC paper (Part I), we related these findings to the kinetics of welds and part design issues for straight and T-type butt-joints.