This work is concerned with the simulation of the filling and cooling stages of the injection molding process of an isotactic polypropylene (iPP). A mathematical model based on the conservation equations was used. A crystallization kinetics model was considered as a source term in the energy equation. The parameters of the crystallization kinetics model, as well as the viscosity model, were obtained by experimental techniques. For the solution of the governing equations the finite volume method was employed. Temperature, pressure, velocity, shear rate and crystalinity profiles under different processing conditions were obtained.
Injection molding; simulation; finite volume method; crystallization kinetics; polypropylene
