Long fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites are used for creating lightweight, but mechanically sound, automotive components. Injection molding is a manufacturing technique commonly used for traditional thermoplastics due to its efficiency and ability to create complex geometries. Injection molding feedstock is often in the form of pellets. Therefore, fiber composites must be chopped for use in this manufacturing method. The fibers are cut to a length of 13 mm and then fiber attrition occurs during processing. The combination of chopping the fibers into pellets and fiber breakage creates a distribution of mostly short fiber lengths, with some longer fibers remaining. Discontinuous fiber reinforcements are classified as long for aspect ratios greater than 100. For glass fibers, that distinction occurs at a length of 1 mm, and for carbon fibers 0.5 mm. Traditional composite materials and manufacturing processes utilize continuous fibers with a controlled orientation and length. The use of chopped discontinuous fibers requires a method to predict the orientation of the fibers in the final molded piece because mechanical properties are dependent on fiber length and orientation. The properties and behavior of the flow of a fiber reinforced polymer composite during molding are directly related to the mechanical properties of the completed part. Flow affects the orientation of the fibers within the polymer matrix and at locations within the mold cavity. The ability to predict, and ultimately control, flow properties allows for the efficient design of safe parts for industrial uses, such as vehicle parts in the automotive industry. The goal of this work is to test material characterization techniques developed for measuring and predicting the orientation of fiber reinforced injection molded thermoplastics using commercial grade long carbon fiber (LCF) reinforced nylon 6,6 (PA 6,6). Forty weight percent LCF/PA 6,6 with a weight averaged fiber length of 1.242 mm was injection molded into center gated disks and the orientation was measured experimentally. A Linux based Numlab flow simulation process that utilizes the finite element method to model the flow and orientation of fiber reinforced materials was tested and modified to accurately predict the orientation for this composite and geometry. Fiber orientation models used for prediction require the use of empirical parameters. A method of using non-lubricated squeeze flow as an efficient way to determine the strain reduction factor, , and Brownian motion like factor, CI, parameters for short glass fiber polypropylene orientation predictions using the strain reduction factor (SRF) model was extended to use with the LCF/PA 6,6 composite. The 40 weight percent LCF/PA 6,6 material was compression molded and underwent non-lubricated squeeze flow testing. The flow was simulated using finite element analysis to predict the fiber orientation using the SRF model. The empirical parameters were fit by comparing the simulated orientation to experimentally measured orientation. This is a successful method for predicting orientation parameters that is significantly more efficient than optimizing the parameters based on fitting orientation generated in injection molded pieces. The determined orientation parameters were then used to reasonably predict the fiber orientation for the injection molded parts. The authors proved that the experimental and simulation techniques developed for the glass fiber reinforced polypropylene material are valid for use with a different, more complex material. / Doctor of Philosophy / Fibers reinforce thermoplastic polymers to create lightweight, but mechanically sound, automotive parts. Thermoplastics flow when heated and harden when cooled. This work compares two of the commonly used thermoplastics, polypropylene (plastic grocery bags, food storage containers) with a glass fiber reinforcement and a form of nylon called PA 6,6 with a carbon fiber reinforcement. Injection molding is a manufacturing technique commonly used for un-reinforced thermoplastics due to its efficiency and ability to create complicated shapes. Injection molding feedstock is often in the form of pellets. Therefore, fiber composites must be chopped for use in this manufacturing method. The fibers are cut to a length of 13 mm and then fiber breakage occurs in the injection molder. The combination of chopping the fibers into pellets and fiber breakage creates a range of lengths. This distribution consists of mostly short fiber lengths, with some longer fibers remaining. Discontinuous fiber reinforcements are classified as long for aspect ratios (the ratio of length over diameter) greater than 100. For glass fibers, that distinction occurs at a length of 1 mm, and for carbon fibers 0.5 mm. Traditional composite materials and manufacturing processes utilize continuous fibers with a controlled orientation and length, such as the weave pattern one might see in a carbon fiber hood. The use of chopped fibers requires a method to predict the orientation of the fibers in the final molded piece because mechanical properties are dependent on fiber length and orientation. The way that the plastic flows during molding is directly related to the mechanical properties of the completed part because flow affects the way that the fibers arrange. The ability to predict, and ultimately control, flow properties allows for the efficient design of safe parts for industrial uses, such as vehicle parts in the automotive industry. The goal of this work is to test the techniques developed for measuring and predicting the orientation of fiber reinforced injection molded thermoplastics using commercial grade long carbon fiber (LCF) reinforced nylon 6,6 (PA 6,6). LCF/PA 6,6 with an average fiber length of 1.242 mm was injection molded into a disk and the orientation was measured experimentally. A computer flow simulation process that utilizes the finite element method to model the flow and orientation of fiber reinforced materials was tested and modified to accurately predict the orientation for this composite and geometry. Fiber orientation models used for prediction require the use of parameters. There is no universal method for determining these parameters. A method of using non-lubricated squeeze flow as an efficient way to determine the parameters for short glass fiber polypropylene orientation predictions was extended to use with the LCF/PA 6,6 composite. The LCF/PA 6,6 material was compression molded and underwent non-lubricated squeeze flow testing. The flow was modeled to predict the fiber orientation. The empirical parameters were fit by comparing the simulated orientation to experimentally measured orientation. This is a successful method for predicting orientation parameters. The determined orientation parameters were then used to reasonably predict the fiber orientation for the injection molded parts. The authors proved that the experimental and simulation techniques developed for the glass fiber reinforced polypropylene material are valid for use with a different, more complex material.

This thesis investigates the challenges and opportunities of recycling PA6-GF30, a glass-filled polyamide, to address the pressing environmental concerns surrounding polymer waste. Through a collaboration between Thule Group and Jönköping University, it aims to understand how the properties of recycled materials evolve over time and reprocessing cycles, proposing practical methods for their utilization in sustainable manufacturing practices. Thule Group's commitment to reducing emissions entails transitioning to sustainable materials, particularly through increased use of recycled engineering materials like PA6-GF30, to lower the carbon footprint of products, emphasizing the importance of maintaining product quality and safety while exploring the effects of recycled materials on mechanical properties. Through producing and testing post-industrial and post-consumer samples added to virgin PA6-GF30 with varying ratios, comparison with the commercially available polymers was conducted. In total, 15 different mixtures of pellets of different quantity and quality of recycled composites were investigated with tensile test and impact test, moreover the fibers of some batches were filtrated from the matrix and the fiber aspect ratio was examined with the help of an optical microscope. Results illustrated that recycled polymers generally showed more mechanical property degradation as the ratio of recycled polymers were increased. Furthermore, adding the same amount of post-consumer regrinds as opposed to post-industrial was more detrimental to the overall mechanical performance. Post-industrial composite regrinds performed 11,3% worse in UTS, meanwhile post-consumer regrinds dropped by 25,5% in the same characteristic when the samples made of 100% recycled materials were compared to the virgin composite.  The reason behind this phenomenon was investigated and supported by microscopy. One of them is the natural aging of the material that operates through chain scission, that slowly makes that polymer stiffer and weaker. The other and more dominant reason is the damage taken by the fibers, that create numerous stress concentration sites at fiber ends, within the structure, ultimately damaging the fiber-matrix interface.