Direct Bundle Simulation approach for the compression molding process of Sheet Molding Compound

The manufacturing process of Sheet Molding Compounds (SMC) induces a reorientation of fibers during the flow, which influences local properties and is of interest for structural computations. Typically, the reorientation is described with an evolution equation for the second order fiber orientation tensor, which requires a closure approximation and multiple empirical parameters to describe long fibers. However, CT scans of SMC microstructures …