DETERMINATION OF THE ORIENTATION OF SHORT GLASS-FIBERS IN SHEET MOLDING COMPOUND (SMC)

A computer based semiautomatic procedure has been developed to measure the fiber orientation on the surface of Sheet Molding Compound (SMC) plaques. The principal orientation direction and the Hermans' orientation descriptor were used to summarize the fiber orientation distribution. The results show that only slight orientation was produced in the SMC plaque with a centrally placed charge occupying 40 percent of the area of the mold. Plaque to plaque, top surface to bottom surface, and region to region variability in the fiber orientation were observed. The orientation of fibers in the four quadrants of the same plaque differed significantly.