Polymers and Polymer Composites

FINITE ELEMENT SIMULATION ON THERMOFORMING ACRYLIC SHEETS USING DYNAMIC EXPLICIT METHOD

March 1, 2006 By: Dong Y; Lin R J T; Bhattacharyya D Research article

Title: FINITE ELEMENT SIMULATION ON THERMOFORMING ACRYLIC SHEETS USING DYNAMIC EXPLICIT METHOD
Page Range: p.307-328
Author(s): Dong Y; Lin R J T; Bhattacharyya D
File size: 1106K
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Journal: Polymers and Polymer Composites
Issue Year: ppc
Volume: 14
Issue No: No. 3

Abstract
Studies are carried out with the help of a dynamic explicit finite element software package, PAM-FORM, to understand the thermoforming mechanisms of a polymeric sheet and their effects on the final geometry. A hyperelastic constitutive law based on the Mooney-Rivlin model was successfully adopted to carry out the initial simulation on bubble inflation and to identify the material parameters. A good agreement of the deformation profile with the experimental results was found. Further investigations were concentrated on the thickness distribution analysis and the strain states of the bubble inflation along with a comparison with the results from kinematic Grid Strain Analysis. The numerical simulation of pressure forming of a cup, whose forming mechanisms were explained reasonably well with the available Williams’ analytical solutions, is also presented. The adaptive mesh refinement scheme was used in the simulation of thermoforming a complex-shaped rectangular container to predict the wall thickness distribution. The final simulation results of the deformation at different stages of the forming process and the analyses of final part geometry are also included. 29 refs.


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