Torsional Characteristics of Injection-Molded Hinges from Plastics and Glass Fiber-Reinforced Plastics
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Experimental Methods
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Polymers Flexure Hinge
3.2. Composite Flexure Hinges
4. Conclusions
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- The torsional moment of the ABS flexural hinge varies from −0.2 to 0.94 N∙m. The negative line mostly varies about −0.2 N∙m, indicating the stable performance of the ABS flexural hinge at this range. On the contrary, with the positive line, the torsional moment suffers a steady decline.
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- The torsional moment of the PP polymer mostly oscillates from −0.6 to 0.8 N∙m. Compared to the ABS flexural plastic hinges, the absolute value of the negative torsional moment of the PP flexural hinge is lower, indicating a stronger resistance to plastic deformation. On the contrary, at the positive torsion range, the PP flexural plastic hinge performs a lower maximum torsional moment than the ABS one. Moreover, the PP flexural hinges have a lower decreasing speed over 100 cycles, reaching the lowest point at about 0.5 N∙m. In other words, the PP flexural hinge has a more stable performance than the ABS one and a higher value in negative torsional moment.
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- The torsional moment of the PA6 polymer mainly varies from −0.2 to 1.0 N∙m. Interestingly, the torsional moment diagram of this polymer is similar to the ABS one, having a stable pattern in both positive and negative ranges. Additionally, the PA6 flexural hinges perform at a higher value in the positive range than the ABS range. In the negative range, the PA6 has the highest torsional moment when considering the absolute value. Both ABS and PA6 flexural hinges have a higher level of stability compared to the PP one due to the higher elastic modulus and higher strength of these polymers than the PP polymer.
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- Among three pure polymers, the PP flexural hinge could achieve the lowest negative torsional moment of −0.6 N∙m compared to ABS and PA flexural hinges. In reverse, the PA6 could gain the highest positive torsional moment of 1.0 N∙m. PA6 flexural hinges achieve the most stable torsional moment compared to the other pure polymer types, indicating their advantages.
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- Adding from 5% to 10% FG mostly helps improve the torsional moment of the composite flexural hinges. Moreover, both the positive and negative torsional moment values also experience a stable condition when testing at all cycle ranges. This improvement comes from the suitable reinforcement of the matrix, while the ductility of the materials is still good. However, further adding 15% to 30% FG, the torsional moment mostly fluctuates around −0.1 to 1.0 N∙m, pointing out the limitation of the reinforcement effect. PA6 mixed with 10% FG appears to be the optimal material among the surveyed range. The results broaden the application of injection-molded plastic flexure hinges and enhance our understanding of them. Further investigation should conduct some statistical analysis to clarify the differences between the torques for the different materials.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Materials | Filling Press. (MPa) | Filling Speed Rate (g/s) | Filling Time (s) | Packing Press. (MPa) | Packing Time (s) | Temp. (°C) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pure PP | 5.5 | 138.6 | 2 | 5.1 | 1 | 210 |
Pure ABS | 9.5 | 138.6 | 2 | 8.7 | 1 | 200 |
Pure PA6 | 10.0 | 138.6 | 2 | 8.8 | 1 | 270 |
PA6 + 5% GF | 10.0 | 138.6 | 2 | 8.8 | 1 | 270 |
PA6 + 10% GF | 10.0 | 138.6 | 2 | 8.8 | 1 | 270 |
PA6 + 15% GF | 10.5 | 138.6 | 2 | 9.3 | 1 | 270 |
PA6 + 20% GF | 10.5 | 138.6 | 2 | 9.3 | 1 | 270 |
PA6 + 25% GF | 10.5 | 138.6 | 2 | 9.3 | 1 | 270 |
PA6 + 30% GF | 10.5 | 138.6 | 2 | 9.3 | 1 | 270 |
Materials | Torsional Moment (N∙m) | Characteristics of the Torsional Moment Diagrams |
---|---|---|
ABS | −0.2 to 0.94 | Non-stable positive range with fast decreasing |
PP | −0.6 to 0.8 | Quite stable positive range, best negative value |
PA6 | −0.2 to 1.0 | Stable positive range |
PA6 + 5% FG | −0.5 to 1.0 | Stable positive range, higher positive value than pure PA6 |
PA6 + 10% FG | −0.5 to 1.5 | Stable positive range, highest positive value among all PA6-based composites. |
PA6 + 15% FG | −0.1 to 1.0 | Stable positive range, low negative value |
PA6 + 20% FG | −0.25 to 1.25 | Stable positive range, low negative value |
PA6 + 25% FG | −0.1 to 0.75 | Quite stable positive range, low positive value |
PA6 + 30% FG | −0.1 to 1.2 | Non-stable positive range with fast decreasing |
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Uyen, T.M.T.; Nguyen, V.-T.; Vo, X.-T.; Minh, P.S.; Dang, H.N.L. Torsional Characteristics of Injection-Molded Hinges from Plastics and Glass Fiber-Reinforced Plastics. Polymers 2025, 17, 2682. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17192682
Uyen TMT, Nguyen V-T, Vo X-T, Minh PS, Dang HNL. Torsional Characteristics of Injection-Molded Hinges from Plastics and Glass Fiber-Reinforced Plastics. Polymers. 2025; 17(19):2682. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17192682
Chicago/Turabian StyleUyen, Tran Minh The, Van-Thuc Nguyen, Xuan-Tien Vo, Pham Son Minh, and Hai Nguyen Le Dang. 2025. "Torsional Characteristics of Injection-Molded Hinges from Plastics and Glass Fiber-Reinforced Plastics" Polymers 17, no. 19: 2682. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17192682
APA StyleUyen, T. M. T., Nguyen, V.-T., Vo, X.-T., Minh, P. S., & Dang, H. N. L. (2025). Torsional Characteristics of Injection-Molded Hinges from Plastics and Glass Fiber-Reinforced Plastics. Polymers, 17(19), 2682. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17192682