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Advances in Polymer Technology, Vol.14, No.3, 169-195, 1995
WELDLINES IN INJECTION-MOLDED PARTS - A REVIEW
It is a well-known fact that weldlines are unavoidable in most injection-molded products of even moderate complexity. While there are many situations where they are barely perceptible, weldlines represent a potential source of weakness in molded parts. In injection molding weldlines are generated when two separate melt streams join either in multigated molds or as a consequence of flow around obstacles. The development of many interesting materials has been hampered by poor weldline strength. Among such materials are plastics reinforced with fibers or platelets, liquid crystal polymers, and a number of multiphase polymer blends. Weldlines have ever been called the ''Achilles' heel'' of these multiphase materials. This article is a review of the literature published on weldlines in injected parts. It deals primarily with the aspects related to the mechanical behavior of weldline-containing parts. It begins with a brief description of the phenomena important for the part formation in the mold, including those leading to weldlines, in addition to the techniques used to characterize weldline-containing parts. The following three sections consider the structure and properties of weldlines in neat amorphous and semicrystalline polymers, filled and reinforced plastics, and finally in polymer blends and alloys. In the last section methods developed for increasing the weldline strength are discussed.
Keywords:FIBER-REINFORCED POLYPROPYLENE;FATIGUE BEHAVIOR RELATIONSHIPS;WELD LINES;MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES;KNIT-LINES;TENSILEPROPERTIES;CRYSTALLINE POLYMERS;FRACTURE-MECHANICS;MOLECULAR-WEIGHT;IMPACT-STRENGTH