Experimental and Numerical Analysis of SMC Compression Molding in Confined Regions—A Comparison of Simulation Approaches

The compression molding process of sheet compound (SMC) is an economical manufacturing for lightweight parts. However, defects, such as fiber matrix separation, and re-orientation, may develop during the in confined regions, ribs bosses. Hence, mechanical properties composite depend on local architecture. Consequently, this work compares predictive capabilities tensor-based directly modeled simulation approaches regarding force, volume content orientation example honeycomb structures molded from SMC. results are validated by micro-computed tomography thermal gravimetric analysis. varies between individual samples because a macroscopically heterogeneous thus architecture strongly influenced random events. Tensor-based models can not reliably predict part’s thickness direction if there lack scale separation. Therefore, simulations should be preferred cases which length mold dimensions prohibit prediction difficult task no severity separation precisely all cases.