Numerical simulation of SMC component moulding

This paper presents the results of some numerical and experimental analyses carried out in order to evaluate the reliability of numerical simulation of the moulding process of a sheet moulding compound (SMC) truck bumper. The ability to simulate the moulding process should enable us to obtain moulded components whose mechanical properties are designed taking advantage of the actual anisotropy of the material. By using a finite element program, the mould-filling sequence and the fibre orientation distribution are analysed to predict the anisotropic mechanical and physical properties of the moulded part. The structural response of a previous isotropic numerical model is compared, in terms of global stiffness, both with the one related to the obtained anisotropic model and with experimental results in order to quantify the improvement in the modelling of the mechanical behaviour of the bumper. The anisotropic model turns out to be more accurate than the isotropic one, particularly where a strong alignment of the fibre is present.