Prediction of short glass fiber orientation in the filling of an end-gated plaque

This work is concerned with predicting short (L≤1mm) glass fiber (SGF) orientation generated during the filling of an end-gated plaque (EGP). Previous EGP simulations have provided results only within the mold cavity and only along the centerline of the mold and made assumptions about fiber orientation at the mold entry. This paper reports on a method to simulate the flow in the sprue, gate and mold region (SGM) to obtain fiber orientation predictions within the end-gated plaque using orientation parameters fit to experimental data. Predicted values of orientation are compared to experimental data both along and away from the centerline. It is observed that orientation can be accurately predicted in a three dimensional mold cavity using the strain reduction factor model. Furthermore, initial conditions at the entrance to mold cavity appear to be a function of mold width as well as mold thickness.