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Abstract
Among moulding methods, hot press moulding refers to heating the material up to the melting point and then moulding it. The difference in flow velocity separates the material from the matrix, and the displacement difference causes fibre orientation. As a result, the material becomes heterogeneous and anisotropic, and the changes affect the mechanical properties of moulded product. The properties naturally depend on the property of the matrix and yet on the structure of the fibre that forms the matrix. Until now, there has been no study on the effect of the mould temperature on the fibre separation and orientation in compression moulding of fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites, which is the objective this study was intended to address. The mould temperature was varied and the heterogeneity of moulded product and the fibre orientation was examined. The fibre orientation function increased when the mould temperature was higher and the compression ratio was larger. The degree of heterogeneity in a moulded product was dominantly affected by the displacement of the product, rather than by the mould temperature since each fibre was strongly tangled with others, and increased at higher compression ratio. Therefore, this study can provide a guideline for designing of composite in terms of separation and orientation.