Using Abaqus/Explicit to model polymeric thin-film mechanical property changes due to embossing

Embossing of polymeric films destined for usage in the personal care marketplace is an industrial process that produces a very fine pattern, barely discernible to the naked eye, yet has a significant influence on some market-driven properties; more bulk, a soft and smooth touch, reduced crinkling noise and lower gloss. However this comes at a cost to the mechanical properties such as stiffness and ultimate strength capability. Since the feature size of the embossing pattern is so small, it is difficult to obtain all the information from an experiment alone, making the Finite Element Method an ideal analytical tool to help gain additional insight into the effects of some of the design and process parameters. The paper discusses the computational approach, presents results of simulations performed in Abaqus/Explicit for an example 16 micron film and compares to experimentally measured values.