Abstract
The use of engineering plastics in automotive components is increasing with the trend towards improving the car strength and reducing weight. Among the different choices of materials, engineering plastic emerged as the necessary material for achieving lower costs, reduced weight and improved production efficiency. To produce the automotive parts, it is important to predict defect and validation of injection molding prior to design. Injection molding analysis and structural analysis are widely applied as a part of the design process when developing automotive parts. Injection molding analysis, in particular, involves a highly complicated mechanism that requires deep knowledge of polymer properties as well as an analytic approach different from that used for a general isotropic material when the molded material is used as a structural material. This is because the parts made of polymer have pre-stress factors such as intrinsic deformation and residual stress. The most important factors for injection molded plastic products are injection molding condition and cavity design, taking into account ease of molding, mass production and application. Despite optimal injection molding conditions and cavity design, however, glass fiber orientation is critically linked to strength reduction. The application of injection molding and structural coupled analysis provides a low-cost solution for product molding and structural validation, all prior to the actual molding. The purpose of this study involves the validation, pre-study, and solution of defect in injection-molded polymer automotive parts using the simulation software for injection molding and structural coupled analysis. Finally, this thesis provides validation of an injection molding and structural coupled analytic mechanism that can demonstrate the effect of glass fiber orientation on mechanical strength. Design improvement ideas for the injection molded product of PPS (Poly Phenylene Sulfide)+40% glass fiber are also suggested.
