No abstract

We develop a numerical method for calculating fiber orientation in the midsurface of a molded part of small thickness. Two‐dimensional fiber orientation is predicted on the basis of either Jeffery's equation or a constitutive equation for the orientation tensor. The calculation is fully transient; it is performed on a time‐dependent flow domain. The method is based on finite elements. Updated finite element meshes are generated at every instant of filling and allow one to perform an accurate calculation of the orientation even along the boundary of the flow domain. The method is applied to several examples in plane and three‐dimensional geometries.

This paper concerns the prediction of the effect of Hele Shaw flow upon the orientation of a suspension of short fibers. A numerical method to solve the decoupled free boundary flow problem and to calculate the fiber orientation is elaborated. Recent developments in the theory of the 3D natural closure approximation are presented and discussed.