Numerical-experimental investigation of PE/EVA foam injection molded parts

The main objective of the presented work is to propose a robust framework to test foaming injection molded parts, with the aim of establishing a standard testing cycle for the evaluation of a new foam mate- rial based on numerical and experimental results. The research purpose is to assess parameters influenc- ing several aspects, such as foam morphology and compression behavior, using useful suggestions from finite element analysis. The investigated polymeric blend consisted of a mixture of low density polyethylenes (LDPEs), a high-density polyethylene (HDPE), an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and an azodicarbonamide (ADC). The thermal, rheological and compression properties of the blend are fully described, as well as the numerical models and the parameters of the injection molding process.