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Optimal thermal design of injection molds for filled thermosets
Author(s) -
Barone M. R.,
Caulk D. A.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.760251006
Subject(s) - thermosetting polymer , materials science , mold , residual stress , thermal , flexibility (engineering) , residual , optimal design , thermal conduction , composite material , distortion (music) , line (geometry) , mechanical engineering , computer science , optoelectronics , mathematics , thermodynamics , algorithm , amplifier , statistics , physics , geometry , cmos , machine learning , engineering
Since the cure rate of injection molded thermosets is usually very sensitive to cavity surface temperature, spatial variations in these temperatures can lengthen the necessary cure time for the entire part and cause distortion and residual stress in the molded article. This problem is addressed in the present paper by combining an optimization algorithm with a quasi‐steady heat conduction analysis in the mold to determine the heating line positions and operating temperatures that minimize the spatial variation in cavity surface temperature. The method is applied to an example mold for a flat panel of uniform thickness, using two different gate locations. At a one‐minute cycle, the optimal designs for each gate location dramatically reduce the variation in cavity surface temperature compared with corresponding results using a conventional heating system. These results are made more significant by the fact that the optimal designs use considerably fewer heating lines. In spite of their simplicity, the optimal designs still have enough flexibility to adjust to a changing cycle without sacrificing uniformity in cavity surface temperature.