Author(s)

B.N. Rao, K.H. Seah & M.C. Altan

Abstract

A new method is presented to determine the three-dimensional orientation structure in complex flows through a mold cavity. Such flows commonly occur during injection and compression molding of short-fiber-reinforced composite materials. In this study, the fibers are assumed to be rigid and neutrally buoyant with large aspect ratios. The suspending fluid is taken to be Newtonian and the rotational dynamics of individual fibers is governed by the Jeffery's theory. It is shown that the orientation structure can be fully described by the three-dimensional second- order orientation tensors which can be obtained from flow kinematics. In addition, these tensors are expressed as a function of the particle rotation tensor. Sample orientation results are sh

Keywords