Analysis and modeling of simulated residual stress of mold injected plastic parts by using robust correlations

Abstract

ABSTRACT The injection molding process is the most widely used processing technique for polymers. The analysis of residual stresses generated during this process is crucial for the part quality assessment. The present study evaluates the residual stresses in a tensile strength specimen using the simulation software Moldex3D for two polymers, polypropylene and polycarbonate. The residual stresses obtained under a simulated design of experiment were modeled using a robust multivariable regression technique. The results shown that residual stresses could be successfully modeled with a quadratic polynomial fit. For both materials, the lowest level of residual stresses was found at the highest mold temperature and the lowest melting temperature.