Calculation of Residual Thermal Stresses in Injection Molded Amorphous Polymers by the Finite Element Method

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Abstract
The finite element method (FEM) is used to calculate the distribution of residual internal stresses in an injection molded plate-shaped polystyrene specimen. The first step of the calculating procedure is the determination of the temperature distributions in the plate and its variation with cooling time. The temperature distribution data are then used for the determination of the corresponding stress distribution. Also this latter step is accomplished using the FEM-technique. The residual stress distribution is obtained when the sample has been cooled to the temperature of the mold. The main result of the calculations is the finding that the surface layer of the plate is subject to compressive stresses, while the interior accommodates stresses of tensile type. The calculations relate to a polystyrene specimen. The results are shown to agree well with earlier data concerning internal stresses in injection molded objects. The possible influence of anisotropy and visco-elastic relaxation has been neglected. The method can be applied to other amorphous polymers and, after a slight modification, also to polymers of semicrystalline type.

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