Development, characterization, and simulation of components fabricated from vinyl-ester based sheet molding compound material

Sheet Molding Compound materials are widely used in the automotive, electrical, and construction industries due to their favorable mechanical performance and high design flexibility. Accurate prediction of fiber orientation evolution during compression molding is essential for evaluating structural properties, as it strongly affects the mechanical behavior of the final components. The use of numerical simulation tools to predict material characteristics after the manufacturing process represents a key step toward establishing an efficient design cycle for SMC components. Accordingly, the objective of this thesis is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the development of a complex component manufactured from a carbon fiber reinforced, vinyl-ester-based sheet molding compound, with the goal of optimizing production decisions through insights obtained from numerical simulations. The commercial software developed by LMAT Ltd., based on the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method, simulate material flow during compression molding, was employed to address industrial demands for reliable and predictive modeling. Part I examines the analytical models adopted in commercial solutions to reproduce material flow and predict final mechanical properties. Part II presents the methodologies used to define and calibrate numerical process parameters, as well as the validation procedure based on flowability mold experiments. Part III assesses the software’s ability to reproduce the stochastic mechanical behavior of SMC materials. Results from compression molding simulations were used to evaluate the structural performance of final components, and LMAT predictions were validated against experimental data obtained under different testing conditions. Finally, Part IV investigates the integration of LMAT within the virtual process chain for the design of a complex component. The outcomes of this research contribute to the development of a comprehensive design methodology that enables reliable predictions during early design stages, improves manufacturability, reduces costs associated with prototyping and iterative physical optimization, and enhances industrial adaptability to changing specifications and processing conditions.