Measurement of fiber and matrix orientations in fiber reinforced composites

Abstract Short glass fiber reinforced polypropylene was employed in a study to determine the effect of molding and mold design variables on the distrubution of fibers and their orientations, and consequently, on the distributions of mechanical properties in the molded article. In this paper, a variety of experimental techniques were employed to evaluate the distributions of fibers and their orientations. Moreover, techniques were developed to evaluate the orientation and crystallization of the matrix. The results yield significant information regarding the development and control of both the microstructure and the properties of short fiber reinforced composites.