Spherulite Microstructure Formation Simulation Based on Effect of Molding Conditions on Polylactic Acid

Abstract

This study investigates a simulation model predicting spherulite microstructure formation based on experimental observations. The crystallization process of polylactic acid is observed at different molding temperatures by in-situ observation, and the rate of spherulite formation and growth is estimated. Furthermore, according to the Turnbull-Fisher primary nucleation model and the Lauritzen-Hoffman secondary nucleation model, Monte Carlo simulations of spherulite microstructure formation are performed based on the obtained experimental results. The validity of the method is verified by a comparison of the simulated and the experimental results.

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