Development of the CAE system to predict stiffness of a SMC structure: research on the Young's modulus in the rib part

Abstract

Sheet Molding Compound (SMC) products often have ribs to improve the stiffness of the structures. However, even with the ribs, the expected stiffness may not be attained. In these cases, the die design must be changed, which involves great cost. Therefore, a CAE system to predict the stiffness to improve efficiency of the die design is needed. Structure analysis is used in the stiffness prediction, for which a knowledge of Young's modulus is required. We aim to construct a method for the calculation of Young's modulus in the rib part of a SMC product. In this study, the effect of the flow channel geometry and reinforced fiber length on Young's modulus in the rib part was investigated. From the results, we could show the effect of the flow channel geometry on fiber weight content and orientation in the rib part. However, we could not show the effect of the reinforced fiber length.

Keywords:

• SMC
• CAE
• COMPRESSION MOLDING
• PRODUCTS WITH RIB
• PREDICTION OF STIFFNESS