Abstract
Many problems remain unsolved regarding part and mold design for fiber reinforced composites. The thermomechanical processes occur during the mold filling, curing and mold removal stages when compression molding fiber reinforced parts are not very well understood. Irregular thermomechanical properties lead to parts that are warped and that have sink marks and surface waviness. This paper discusses thermomechanical material properties and the theory behind shrinkage and warpage in short fiber reinforced composites. It also presents a thermomechanical process simulation of compression mold ing of short fiber reinforced parts. The simulation is compared to experiments. Numerical experimentation with the simulation program gives us insight into the effect that process ing conditions have on shrinkage and warpage.