Simulation of the Rotational Molding Process of Polyethylene Using the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Method

Abstract

ABSTRACT This work presents the development of a numerical model based on the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method to simulate the rotational molding process of powder thermoplastic polymers, used in the manufacture of liners for high‐pressure hydrogen tanks. Rotational molding is a complex thermo‐mechanical process involving powder heating, melting, flow, and solidification under biaxial rotation. The SPH approach naturally captures free‐surface evolution while integrating experimental thermal and rheological properties of LDPE into the model, which has been implemented in the open‐source DualSPHysics framework. Numerical simulations make it possible to monitor the progressive process, understand the effect of different parameters on the process, and guide future optimization of rotational molding processes through numerical simulation.