Foam injection molding processes have received special attention in polymer industry. The size distribution of bubbles is an important parameter on the molding piece, which depends on the characteristics of the blowing process. This work proposes a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology to analyze the formation and distribution of bubbles in a foamed polymer piece. The birth, coalescence, and breakup of bubbles during the filling process were included and related to the azodicarbonamide (ACA) decomposition. The results agree with experimental data and allow the prediction of shape, location, and predominant size of bubbles. The proposed methodology could also be used to study arrangements of bubbles in more complex geometries, which are directly related to the mechanical properties of the piece.

中文翻译：

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通过计算流体动力学模拟分析聚合物泡沫注塑过程中的气泡形成

泡沫注射成型工艺在聚合物工业中受到了特别的关注。气泡的尺寸分布是成型件上的重要参数，取决于吹塑过程的特性。这项工作提出了一种计算流体动力学（CFD）方法来分析泡沫聚合物片中气泡的形成和分布。填充过程中气泡的产生，聚结和破裂都包括在内，并且与偶氮二甲酰胺（ACA）分解有关。结果与实验数据一致，可以预测气泡的形状，位置和主要尺寸。所提出的方法还可以用于研究更复杂几何形状中气泡的排列，这与工件的机械性能直接相关。