Method for the evaluation of stretch blow molding simulations with free blow trials

Abstract

Finite-Element (FE) simulations are a valuable tool to support the analysis and optimization of production processes. In order to achieve realistic simulation results, a consistent simulation set-up followed by an evaluation through experiments is crucial. Stretch Blow Molding (SBM) is a commonly applied forming method to produce thin walled bottles. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) preforms are biaxially stretched into a closed cavity to form a bottle. In this process the thermo-mechanical material behavior during forming greatly influences the performance of the end product and consequently plays a key role for a reliable process simulation. To ensure a realistic material representation in the simulation model, an adequate material model is calibrated with stress-strain curves from biaxial tests. Thin PET-sheets are stretched under defined temperatures and strain rates. These representative experiments include process simplifications regarding geometry, heating and deformation parameters. Therefore, an evaluation step subsequent to the simulation set-up is inevitable. This paper presents a method for extracting temperature dependent stress-strain-curves from experiments close to the production process which enables the crucial evaluation of a process simulation. In the SBM process, the wall thickness distribution of the bottle refers to the preform deformation over time but does not fully define the thermo-mechanical material behavior. In the presented method, PET-preforms receive thermal treatment with Infrared (IR)-heaters from an SBM-machine and are subsequently inflated into free air (free-blow-trial). An IR-camera is used to obtain the temperature distribution on the preform immediately before blowing. Two high speed cameras are synchronized with a pressure sensor to consequently calculate reliable stress-strain curves at any point on the preform surface. These data is finally compared to results from FE-simulations of the free blow trials.