Abstract
AbstractThe importance of foam injection molded components in industrial applications increases, above all driven by sustainability concerns. In practice, their applicability almost exclusively depends on their mechanical behavior, which is still difficult to predict based on their microstructure. This work aims to present an approach based upon phenomenological observations. From a processing perspective, the objective is to describe the direct processing‐properties‐relationship. Therefore, this work focuses on the effects of different processing parameters on selected final mechanical properties of foam injection molded components using glass fiber‐reinforced polypropylene. A full factorial, central composite design allows for the detection of nonlinear effects, the application of response surface methodology, and the creation of contour plots. Considering three important process parameters (mold temperature, degree of foaming, delay time) and—for the automotive industry—highly important mechanical properties in bi‐ and uniaxial bending, the results show a detailed picture of individual dependences, but also two‐dimensional interactions between the different process parameters. Improvements of more than 140% in absorbed energy and flexural stiffness were obtained at constant part weight. Modulus and strength were increased by 37 and 44%, respectively.
Highlights
Polyolefins are widely used in many areas of application
Together with the linear correlation between momentum and force, this study emphasizes the importance of the three process parameters mold temperature, degree of foaming, and delay time
Based on the results from our previous work,[35] the three most important process parameters mold temperature, degree of foaming, and delay time should be investigated in more detail
Summary
Polyolefins are widely used in many areas of application. While the market requirements on final products generally increase, one aspect that attracts more and more attention over the recent years is sustainability.[1,2] Polyethylene and polypropylene[3] are vital components both in terms of economic production and sustainability issues due to their simple, energy-saving production, and processing. Together with the linear correlation between momentum and force, this study emphasizes the importance of the three process parameters mold temperature (i.e., skin layer thickness), degree of foaming (i.e., total thickness, morphology), and delay time (i.e., skin layer thickness).
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