Evaluation of Fiber Orientation Prediction of Moldflow Using an Injection Molded IP Panel Available to Purchase

The fiber orientation distribution is one of the important microstructural variables for thermoplastic composites reinforced with discontinuous fibers. In this article, Moldflow is used to predict the fiber orientation distribution in an automotive component. Image analysis by MATLAB is adopted to validate the simulated results after taking pictures of fibers by X-ray CT. It is shown that the Moldflow predicts the average distribution in direction of the thickness accurately, with predicted eigenvalue of the orientation tensor within 5% of that measured. However, it failed to capture the change of principal eigenvalue in thickness direction.