Anisotropic short-fiber thermoplastics

Quantitative predictions of the effects of fillers on the properties of the final product are difficult to make, considering that they also depend on the method of manufacture, which controls the dispersion and orientation of the filler and its distribution in the final part. Short-fiber- and flake-filled thermoplastics are usually anisotropic products with variable aspect ratio distribution and orientation varying across the thickness of a molded part. The situation becomes more complex if one considers anisotropy, not only in the macroscopic composite but also in the matrix (as a result of molecular orientation) and in the filler itself (e.g., graphite and aramid fibers and mica fiakes have directional properties). Thus, thermoplastic composites are not always amenable to rigorous analytical treatments, in contrast to continuous thermoset composites, which usually have controlled macrostructures and reinforcement orientation [8, 17]. 

J. H. Phelps and C. L. Tucker m. An anisotropic rotary diffusion model for fiber orientation in short-and long-fiber thermoplastics. Journal of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics, 156,165-176 (2009). 

The anisotropic material behavior of injection-molded, short-fiber reinforced thermoplastic parts can be taken into account in mechanical simulation today by linking process simulation and structural analysis. However, the prediction of the crashworthiness of short-fiber reinforced parts is still performed predominantly using isotropic material models as a substitute. An approach to include anisotropic material behavior into crash-simulation has been developed at the Institute of Plastics Processing in order to advance simulation quality. 

Short-fiber reinforced thermoplastics, FEA, integrative crash-simulation, anisotropic structural analysis, material data determination... 

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