Optimisation of the Impact Behaviour of Injection Moulded Components Through Processing: A Case Study

This work validates a methodology to optimise the impact properties of injection moulded semicrystalline polymers through the control of the processing conditions. This is applied to a case study: an interior door panel. The thermomechanical environment imposed during moulding is assessed by computer simulations of the mould filling phase, for a wide range of processing conditions. Two thermomechanical indices are then calculated aiming at interpreting the microstructure development. Based on relationships between these thermomechanical indices and the impact properties of plate-like mouldings, the impact behaviour of the door panel can be enhanced. The results are experimentally validated