Presidential Young Investigator Award: Polymer Processing, Modelling and Simulation

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The project will conduct research in the field of polymer processing, composites and rheology, specifically modeling and simulating processes such as injection, compression and resin transfer molding. The outcome of this research will aid the designer in controlling material properties and part quality through innovative modeling, analysis and process simulation. Research will be done on the thermomechanical behavior of composites. A major problem that arises when designing plastic parts, especially those made of fiber reinforced composites, is the change of the part's shape and dimensions due to shrinkage and warpage. A thermomechanical simulation of the molding process of fiber reinforced composites will result from this research. Another study will determine the inertial effects during flow of low viscosity polymers. This is especially interesting for the reaction injection molding (RIM) process where cycle times of only fractions of a second are sought. It is not possible to predict flow patterns and orientations for this mold filling process using current simulations, since they are all based on the assumption of negligible inertia terms. The project will also develop a simulation of the thermoforming process of sheet materials, specifically, fiber matt preforms used in the resin transfer molding process and wood flour filled polypropylene sheets used for interior body panels. It is important to know the filler orientation after forming and to detect the formation of folds or rips in the sheet which would make it unacceptable for use. Understanding the thermomechanical behavior of plastics and being able to predict filling patterns, filler orientation, shrinkage, warpage and surface waviness before a part is actually molded leads to higher part quality and eliminates some of the expensive and time consuming tasks done in the early stages of part and mold design.