| Abstract: | Distortion of bars injection-molded from polystyrene, polypropylene, and glass-fiber-filled polypropylene and subsequently placed in a temperature gradient has been examined. Residual stress distributions have been measured both for the as-molded state and after annealing in a temperature gradient. In the as-molded state all moldings showed the usual residual stress distribution with compressive stresses near the surface and tensile stresses in the interior. In all three materials it was found that tensile stresses could be developed near to the warmer surface on gradient annealing and that tensile stresses still remained at this surface when the bar was cooled and permitted to bend to restore internal equilibrium. It is shown therefore that in addition to the dimensional changes which occur and which may render the molding unserviceable after temperature gradient annealing, another undesirable change takes place, leaving the molding much more susceptible to fracture from a surface flaw. Uniform annealing is found to be much less likely to cause stress reversal and the stresses remain balanced so that distortion is minimal. |
