Effect of Injection Molding Parameters and Cooling Conditions on the Dimensional Stability and Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene Battery Boxes for Automotive Batteries

Effect of Injection Molding Parameters and Cooling Conditions on the Dimensional Stability and Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene Battery Boxes for Automotive Batteries | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Effect of Injection Molding Parameters and Cooling Conditions on the Dimensional Stability and Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene Battery Boxes for Automotive Batteries Nathaniel Switzner, Dyari Omed Abubakr, Nouf Nawaf AbdulAziz, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5903583/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 13 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study investigates the influence of injection molding parameters, including tem-perature, cooling duration, and coolant flow conditions, on the dimensional stabilityand mechanical properties of automotive battery boxes made from polypropylene im-pact copolymer (PPIC). PPICs are widely used materials for battery boxes becauseof their strength, toughness, chemical resistance, and low cost. Interruption of theflow of coolant to the mold was shown to cause warpage in specific regions. Lowerinjection temperatures (220 °C) showed greater robustness to coolant anomalies,maintaining dimensional stability despite cooling disruptions. Mechanical testing of tensile bars extracted from the molded boxes revealed sig-nificant orientation-dependent behavior, with longitudinal samples exhibiting supe-rior elongation and toughness compared to transverse samples. Notched tensile barsconfirmed strain rate sensitivity, highlighting the brittleness of PPIC under highdeformation rates. A machine learning model was used to optimize elongation as afunction of processing parameters, revealing optimal ranges for injection temperature(220–234 °C) and cooling time (38-47 s). These findings provide actionable insights for optimizing the injection moldingprocess to minimize defects, enhance mechanical performance, and improve reliabilityin PPIC battery boxes. Future work should focus on exploring additional parame-ters, including resin composition and mold design, to further refine manufacturingoutcomes. Polypropylene Injection Molding Dimensional Stability Mechanical Properties Automotive Batteries Warpage Cooling Conditions Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 02 Apr, 2025 Reviews received at journal 08 Mar, 2025 Reviews received at journal 08 Mar, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 01 Mar, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Feb, 2025 Reviews received at journal 28 Feb, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Feb, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 27 Feb, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 27 Feb, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 24 Feb, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 19 Feb, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 07 Feb, 2025 First submitted to journal 25 Jan, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5903583","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":412537461,"identity":"1dfcb813-a5c5-4133-ac0b-46f3b8ce1e55","order_by":0,"name":"Nathaniel 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PPICs are widely used materials for battery boxes becauseof their strength, toughness, chemical resistance, and low cost. Interruption of theflow of coolant to the mold was shown to cause warpage in specific regions. Lowerinjection temperatures (220 °C) showed greater robustness to coolant anomalies,maintaining dimensional stability despite cooling disruptions.\n\nMechanical testing of tensile bars extracted from the molded boxes revealed sig-nificant orientation-dependent behavior, with longitudinal samples exhibiting supe-rior elongation and toughness compared to transverse samples. Notched tensile barsconfirmed strain rate sensitivity, highlighting the brittleness of PPIC under highdeformation rates. A machine learning model was used to optimize elongation as afunction of processing parameters, revealing optimal ranges for injection temperature(220–234 °C) and cooling time (38-47 s).\n\nThese findings provide actionable insights for optimizing the injection moldingprocess to minimize defects, enhance mechanical performance, and improve reliabilityin PPIC battery boxes. 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