1.

Visco-elastic behavior in plastics

Visco-elasticity is the property of materials that exhibit both viscous and elastic characteristics when undergoing deformation. Viscous materials, like honey, resist shear flow and strain linearly with time when a stress is applied. Elastic materials strain when stretched and quickly return to their original state once the stress is removed. Viscoelastic materials have elements of both of these properties and, as such, exhibit timedependent strain. A material having this property is considered to combine the features of a perfectly elastic solid and a perfect fluid. Plastic polymers deform elastically by elongation of the chain molecules form their stable configurations in the direction of the applied stress by the bending and stretching of the strong covalent bonds.

Visco Elatic behavior of plastic At the highest temperatures viscous or liquid like behavior prevails. While at low temp it behaves like solid and obey hook law means behaves like elastic. And for intermediate temperature the polymer is a rubbery solid that exhibits the combined mechanical characteristics of these twp extremes; the condition is termed viscoelasticity.

Viscoelastic properties of plastic

2. Creep behavior in plastics

When a plastic material is subjected to a constant load, it deforms continuously (Figure 2). The initial strain is roughly predicted by its stress-strain modulus. The material will continue to deform slowly with time indefinitely or until rupture or yielding causes failure. The primary region is the early stage of loading when the creep rate decreases rapidly with time. Then it reaches a steady state which is called the secondary creep stage followed by a rapid increase (tertiary stage) and fracture. This phenomenon of deformation under load with time is called creep. Of course, this is an idealized curve.

Some materials do not have secondary stage, while tertiary creep only occurs at high stresses and for ductile materials. All plastics creep to a certain extent. The degree of creep depends on several factors, such as type of plastic, magnitude of load, temperature and time. The standard test method for creep characterization is ASTM D2990. In this test procedure, the dimensional changes that occur during time under a constant static load are measured. If the applied load is released before the creep rupture occurs, an immediate elastic recovery equal to the elastic deformation, followed by a period of slow recovery is observed (Figure 3). The material in most cases does not recover to the original shape and a permanent deformation remains. The magnitude of the permanent deformation depends on length of time, amount of stress applied, and temperature.

The creep rupture is basically similar to a creep test with the exception that it is continued until the material fails. Since higher loads are used, creep rates are higher and the material fails in a shorter time (usually terminated in 1000h). This test is useful in establishing a safe envelope inside which a creep test can be conducted. The basic information obtained from the stress rupture test is the time to failure at a given stress. Based on this data, a safe stress can be

determined below which it is safe to operate, given the time requirement of the end use application. The construction of the creep rupture envelope is shown in Figure 4. Test is conducted under constant stresses and the points of the onset of tertiary stage are connected to form the creep rupture envelope.

3. Design guidelines for Plastic components

Many factors affect plastic-part design. Among these factors are: Functional requirements, such as mechanical loading and ultraviolet stability; aesthetic needs, such as color, level of transparency, and tactile response; Economic concerns, such as cost of materials, labor, and capital equipment Plastic material(s) to be used Product shape and features Production process End-use applications

The relationship among these and other factors that influence the production of quality plastic parts is represented as.

The product designer must also consider that the plastic molding or forming process influences the plastic part performance. The physical, mechanical, and chemical properties of the material can be affected by the molding/forming process.

The part designer needs to understand the rudiments of plastic processing methods in order to select a plastic material, define the specific shape of the part, and define the process used to manufacture the plastic product. Appearance Aesthetic requirements can entail many material and part-design issues. For example, a need for transparency greatly reduces the number of potential plastics, especially if the part needs high clarity. Color may also play an important role. Plastics must often match the color of other materials used in parts of an assembly. Some applications require the plastic part to weather at the same rate as other materials in an assembly. Life Expectancy Many functional parts need to meet certain life-cycle expectations. Life expectancy may involve a time duration as in years of outdoor exposure time at a specific set of conditions such as hours in boiling water or repetitions of an applied load or condition as in number of gamma sterilization cycles or snap-arm deflections. Determine a reasonable life expectancy for your part. Dimensional Tolerances Many applications have features requiring tight tolerances for proper fit and function. Some mating parts require only that mating features have the same dimensions. Others must have absolute size and tolerance. Consider the effect of load, temperature, and creep on dimensions. Over-specification of tolerance can increase product cost significantly. Cost Constraints Plastic-part cost can be particularly important, if your molded part comprises all or most of the cost of the final product. Be careful to consider total system cost, not just part and material cost. Processing Determine if your part design places special demands on processing. For example, will the part need a mold geometry that is particularly difficult to fill, or would be prone to warpage and bow. Address all part-ejection and regrind issues.

Plastic-part cost can be particularly important, if your molded part comprises all or most of the cost of the final product. Be careful to consider total system cost, not just part and material cost. Parts should be designed with a minimum wall thickness consistent with part function and mold filling considerations. The thinner the wall the faster the part cools, and the cycle times are short, resulting in the lowest possible part costs. Also, thinner parts weight less, which results in smaller amounts of the plastic used per part which also results in lower part costs. Thick sections cool slower than thin sections. The thin section first solidifies, and the thick section is still not fully solidified. As the thick section cools, it shrinks and the material for the shrinkage comes only from the unsolidified areas, which are connected, to the already solidified thin section. This builds stresses near the boundary of the thin section to thick section. Since the thin section does not yield because it is solid, the thick section (which is still liquid)

must yield. Often this leads to warping or twisting. If this is severe enough, the part could even crack.

Uniform wall thicknesses reduce/eliminate this problem. Uniform walled parts are easier to fill in the mold cavity, since the molten plastic does not face varying restrictions as it fills. When uniform walls are not possible, then the change in section should be as gradual as possible.

Warping problems can be reduced by building supporting features such as gussets. Gussets can be considered as subset of Ribs.

Temperature Many material properties in plastics impact strength, modulus, tensile strength, and creep resistance to name a few vary with temperature. Consider the full range of enduse temperatures, as well as temperatures to which the part will be exposed during

manufacturing, finishing, and shipping. Remember that impact resistance generally diminishes at lower temperatures. Chemical Exposure Plastic parts encounter a wide variety of chemicals during manufacturing and in the end use environment. Make sure that these chemicals are compatible with your final part and the selected material.

4. Design considerations or Guidelines for Injection Molding

Injection molding is the most popular process for producing plastic products, because it is a fast and cost effective process. Also it allows the designer the opportunity to create true threedimensional part shapes. Good design is important for any manufactured product but for plastics it is absolutely vital. The following are the design guidelines for injection molding of plastics 1. Wall Thickness Keep wall thickness as uniform as possible. This will minimize sinking, warping, residual stresses, and improve mold fill and cycle times. Use gradual transitions between thick and thin sections. Wall thickness must suit both function and process. Wall thickness guide range is: 0.75 mm to 3 mm for reinforced materials 0.5 mm to 5 mm for unreinforced materials

2. Corners Avoid sharp internal corners. Internal radii should be at least 0.5 and preferably 0.6 to 0.75 times the wall thickness. Keep corner wall thickness as close as possible to the nominal wall thickness. Ideally, external radii should be equal to the internal radii plus the wall thickness.

3. Use ribs or gussets to improve part stiffness in bending. This avoids the use of thick section to achieve the same, thereby saving on part weight, material costs, and cycle time costs 4. Ribs are used to improve the rigidity of a plastics part without increasing the wall thickness Rib thickness should be 50 - 75% of the wall thickness. Fillet radius should be 40 - 60% of the rib thickness. Rib root thickness should not be more than 25% greater than the wall thickness. Rib depth should not be more than 5 times the rib thickness. Taper ribs for mould release. Deep ribs are stiffer than thick ribs. Unidirectional ribs should be spaced apart by at least 2 and preferably 3 or more times the nominal wall thickness Rib depth should not be more than 5 times rib thickness 5. Bosses Before designing a boss, consider its function and the forces acting on it during assembly and service. If the forces are not great, it may be possible to dispense with support ribs otherwise: o Anchor the boss to the base wall with buttress ribs. o If possible, anchor the boss to the side wall with a flat rib. o Avoid rib arrangements that result in small mould cores or complicated mould machining set-ups. 6. Use the least thickness compliant with the process, material, or product design requirements. Using the least wall thickness for the process ensures rapid cooling, short cycle times, and minimum shot weight. All these result in the least possible part cost. 7. Design parts to facilitate easy withdrawal from the mold by providing draft (taper) in the direction of mold opening or closing. 8. Gate Type and Location. The gate is the point where the plastic melt is allowed to enter the cavity to form the part. The gate is designed to cool or freeze after the cavity has been filled and packed with plastic. This cooling prevents any plastic melt from exiting the filled cavity. 9. Cooling and Solidifying of the Plastic in the Mold. The plastic part designer must avoid thick wall sections to avoid cooling problems in the mold Specifically, parts with thicker wall sections require a longer cooling time within the mold; additionally, the thick sections may distort, have sink marks, or contain voids.

Problems in cooling and solidification caused by the rib fill rate for an injection-molded part 10. To avoid these problems, the designer must strive for a nearly constant thickness of every section of the part. This nominal thickness must meet the application requirements of the art, ensure nearly uniform cooling, and be fillable by the plastic material selected.

Wall transitions in a plastic part. (a) Poor (sharp) transition. (b) Better (gradual) transition. (c) Best (smooth) transition

11. Ejection or Removal of the Molded Part from the Mold. To allow an injection-molded part to be removed from the mold requires that the part designer consider ejection surfaces and draft. 12. Draft is the angle in the wall design that facilitates ejection from the mold

Fig. 7 Types of draft in plastic injection-molded parts 13. Holes and Other Features. Injection-molded part features can be expressed as a function of the nominal wall thickness (T) as shown in Fig

Good design practice for holes and projections in injection-molded parts