Thermoplastics reinforced with short glass fibers are increasingly used in many aircraft and industrial applications due to their attractive mechanical properties, relatively high strength to weight ratio and rapid processing. Injection molding is one of the most widely used manufacturing methods for the production of thermoplastic composite parts. The strength of the injection molding components mainly depends on the orientation of the fibers within the matrix. However, the random orientation of the short fibers within the matrix cannot be easily predicted and hence, the application of short fiber‐filled thermoplastic materials has been limited in many cases by the inability to accurately predict strength/stiffness characteristics and durability.

Present work focuses on setting up a procedure for material modeling of Short Glass Fiber Reinforced Injection-molded Thermoplastic Composites (SGFRITC) and their static strength substantiation using Finite Element Method. An aircraft system bracket has been identified for this simulation, in order to demonstrate the strength, weight and other benefits obtained over conventional metallic system brackets. Download to continue reading.