Abstract
Modeling and simulation of the morphology evolution of immiscible polymer blends during injection molding is crucial for predicting and tailoring the products’ performance. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art progress in the multiscale modeling and simulation of injection molding of polymer blends. Technological development of the injection molding simulation on a macroscale was surveyed in detail. The aspects of various models for morphology evolution on a mesoscale during injection molding were discussed. The current scale-bridging strategies between macroscopic mold-filling flow and mesoscopic morphology evolution, as well as the pros and cons of the solutions, were analyzed and compared. Finally, a comprehensive summary of the above models is presented, along with the outlook for future research in this field.
Highlights
The product performance of immiscible polymer blends is significantly affected by their microstructure, which is formed during mixing and processing
Given the macroscopic models of the mold-filling flow of polymer melt and the mesoscopic models of the polymer blend morphology evolution established, the key to the success of multiscale modeling and the simulation of injection molding of polymer blends is revealing the interactions between the physics of different scales and developing corresponding scale-bridging strategies
This paper is dedicated to reviewing the multiscale modeling and simulation of injection molding of polymer blends from three aspects: macroscopic mold-filling flow simulation, mesoscopic morphology evolution simulation, and scale-bridging methods, corresponding to the following sections
Summary
The product performance of immiscible polymer blends is significantly affected by their microstructure, which is formed during mixing and processing. The mold-filling flow of polymer blend melt spans macro- and mesoscales, and no single model is capable of simulating these complex processes on both scales at the same time [2]. A multiscale modeling and simulation approach is necessary for the injection molding process of polymer blends. Recent advances in the development of macroscopic and mesoscopic models are reviewed for the injection molding of polymer blends as well as scale-bridging methodologies.
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