4/12/12 Living Hinge Design

Living Hinge Design

A living hinge is a thin flexible web of material that joins two rigid bodies together. A properly designed hinge
molded out of the correct material will never fail. Long-life hinges are made from polypropylene or
polyethylene. If the hinge is not expected to last forever, engineering resins like nylon and acetal can be used.

Physical Properties of Plastic as Applied to Living Hinge Design

Before designing a living hinge, it is important to understand how the physical properties relate to the
hinge design calculations. There are three types of hinges: a fully elastic hinge, capable of flexing several
thousand cycles, a fully plastic hinge, capable of flexing only a few cycles, and a combination of plastic elastic,
capable of flexing hundreds of times.

When a living hinge is flexed, the hinge's plastic fibers are stretched a certain amount, depending on its design.
The amount of stretch is the crucial factor determining hinge life. Figure 1 shows a typical stress / strain curve
for metals and some plastics (the shape of the curve will vary significantly depending on the type of plastic, and
the testing speed).

Yield Stress: The point on the stress / strain curve where an increase in strain does not require an increase in
stress. Not all plastics have a yield stress.
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Elastic Limit: The maximum strain point at which the plastic will fully recover to its original shape. Past this point,
the plastic will permanently deform. The yield stress and elastic limit do not necessarily occur at the same
point. For living hinge calculations, however, it will be assumed that they occur at the same point. Also, when
looking up material properties, yield stress is almost always reported; elastic limit is not.

Initial Modulus: The initial slope of the stress / strain curve. This is commonly called Young's Modulus, although
it is usually impossible to find a Young's Modulus for a plastic because the stress / strain relationship is not
generally linear. Secant Modulus is a better measurement.

Secant Modulus: The slope of the line joining the 0,0 point and the curve at some specified point. Figure 1
shows the secant modulus at the yield point. This value is relevant to the living hinge calculations.

Ultimate (Breaking) Strength: The point on the stress / strain curve where the plastic fails.

To design a fully elastic hinge, the hinge's maximum strain must be in the elastic region of the curve; the
plastic will fully recover its shape after a flex, and should last for many flexes. A plastic hinge design will
experience strain in the plastic region, will see permanent deformation, and will last only a few flexes.

Designing Fully Elastic Living Hinges for Polypropylene and Polyethylene

Hinges designed for polypropylene and polyethylene should follow dimensional guidelines to create a fully
elastic hinge that will last forever. Figure 2 shows some general dimensions for a properly designed living hinge.
Figure 3 shows dimensions for a right angle hinge.

The two major features of a living hinge are the recess on the top and the generous radius on the
bottom. Figures 4 and 5 show the purpose of the recess. Many hinges are designed without a recess; as a
result, when the hinge is bent 180, a notch is formed. This hinge design creates greater stress in the web, and
the notch acts as a stress concentrator. Hinges designed this way will not last long. Figure 5 shows that with a
recess, the notch is eliminated, and the web is able to fold over easier.

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The large radius on the bottom of hinge helps orient the polymer molecules as they pass through the
hinge. Molecular orientation gives the hinge its strength and long life. Commonly, immediately after a hinge part
is molded, the operator or a machine will flex the hinge a few quick times to orient the molecules while the part
is still warm.

Designing Living Hinges for Other Resins

The hinge dimensions for polyethylene and polypropylene are based on the materials' properties, including
modulus, yield stress, yield strain, ultimate stress, and ultimate strain. Because other resins' properties vary
widely, living hinge dimensions must be calculated for each particular resin. Figure 6 shows the dimensions that
will be used in the calculations. Basically, the calculations find the maximum strain in the hinge and compare it to
the material properties. If the strain is below the elastic limit, the hinge will survive. If the strain is in the plastic
region, the hinge will last a few cycles. If the strain is the past the breaking point, the hinge will fail.

Hinge Design Calculations:

Several simplifying assumptions are made, and tests have shown the assumptions are sound. 1) The
hinge bends in a circle and the neutral axis coincides with the longitudinal hinge axis. 2) The outer fiber is under
maximum tension; the inner fiber is under maximum compression. 3) When the tension stress reaches the yield
point, the hinge will fail by the design criteria.
Refer to Figure 6.
1) L1 = pR (the perimeter of semicircle).
2) L0 = p(R + t)
The strain on the outer fibers can be calculated from the difference between L1 and L0.

3)
Substitute for L0 and L1 in the strain equation and simplify.

4)

5)

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6)

Substitute

7)
Solve for L1

8)

By definition, modulus equals stress over strain, . For these calculations, we must use the secant
modulus at yield.

9)
Therefore,

10)

Elastic Hinge:
In a fully elastic hinge design, sbending must be less than syield and e bending must be less than e yield.
Failure occurs when e bending = e yield and when sbending=syield. Either equation 8 or equation 10 can be
used, depending on whether yield stress or strain is known. To use the equations, find the yield strain (e yield),
or the yield stress (syield) and secant modulus at yield (Esecant, yield ). Substituting these values into the
equations will result in the lowest value of L1 that will yield an elastic hinge. Either the hinge thickness or its
length must be known as well. Generally, a minimum processing thickness is selected, ranging from 0.008" to
0.015", and then a length is calculated.

Plastic Hinge:
A plastic hinge will only last a few cycles. Cracks will probably start on the first flex. Calculations for a
plastic hinge are the same as those of for an elastic hinge, except sultimate and e ultimate are used.

Increasing Tear Resistance:

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Because the hinge is very thin, it is susceptible to tearing at its edges when any torque is applied. There
are a few techniques to help alleviate this problem.
1) Increase the hinge thickness for a length of 0.020" to 0.040" at the ends. For example, if the hinge
thickness is 0.010", increase the ends to 0.020", and then blend the two thicknesses together.
2) Add radii to the ends of the hinge.

Processing Considerations:

The key to living hinge life is to have the polymer chains oriented perpendicular to the hinge as they cross
it. As stated earlier, parts are generally flexed a few times immediately after molding to draw and further orient
the hinge molecules. Another important factor in determining orientation is gate location. It is crucial to
maintain a flow front as parallel to the living hinge as possible.

Figure 9 shows a poorly gated hinged part. The plastic flows out of the center gate in a radial pattern. As
it approaches the center of the hinge, it hesitates because the hinge is very thin. After the remainder of the
gated side fills, plastic starts to cross over the hinge. At this point, the plastic that first touched the center of the
hinge is cold and possibly frozen. The resulting part will have air traps in the center of the back and along the
hinge. It will also have a weld line near the hinge.
Figure 10 shows one example of a properly gated part. A wide flash gate is placed on one end to create
a flat flow front when the plastic reaches the hinge. This results in even flow over the hinge, and provides proper
orientation direction. Locating a gate at the center of one end of the part would be another suitable gate
location.

Example #1:

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Material: Hoechst Celanese Acetal Copolymer, Grade TX90 Unfilled High Impact
Tensile Strength at Yield: 45 MPa
Elongation at Yield: 15%
2t (hinge thickness) = 0.012"
l (hinge recess) = 0.010"

This is a 180 hinge. Find the minimum hinge length for a fully elastic hinge.
NOTE: This is all the mechanical data provided by the design manual. You may have to run your own
mechanical tests to find the necessary material properties.

For a fully plastic hinge, the minimum hinge length is calculated using
L1 = (tp) / e yield
L1 = (0.006"*3.14159) / 0.15
L1 = 0.126" for a fully elastic hinge

Example #2:
Material: Dupont Zytel 101 NC010 Nylon 66, Unfilled
Tensile Strength at Yield: 83 MPa
Elongation at Yield: 5%
Elongation at Break: 60%
2t (hinge thickness) = 0.012"
l (hinge recess) = .010"

This hinge only has to bend 90. Find the minimum hinge length for a fully elastic design.

Since the bend is 90, p can be substituted with p/2 (this can be found from the previous derivation).
L1 = (tp/2) / e yield
L1 = (0.006"*3.14159*0.5) / 0.05
L1 = 0.188"
For a 180 bend, L1 would need to be 0.376". This is probably not moldable. Even 0.188" may be difficult to
mold.

( Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 as well as the figure in Example 1 all come from Paul A. Tres's book "Designing
Plastic Parts for Assembly 2nd, Revised Edition." You can purchase his book at http://ets-
corp.com/lectures/dppa/dppa.htm . )

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