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Die Geometry (die + geometry)
Selected AbstractsA comprehensive 3-D analysis of polymer melt flow in slit extrusion diesADVANCES IN POLYMER TECHNOLOGY, Issue 2 2004Yihan Huang Abstract An understanding of flow behaviour of polymer melts through a slit die is extremely important for optimizing die design and, consequently, for die performance in processing polymer sheets and films. In view of the complex nature and the physical properties of polymer melts as well as of die geometries, such as coat-hanger dies, no simple mathematical formulae can be used to compute the flow regimes within dies. This paper illustrates the development of a three-dimensional (3-D) computer model of an example of a coat-hanger die design using the computational fluid dynamics package, FIDAP, based on the finite element method. A difference of only 3.7% was found when comparing the velocity distribution at the die exit obtained from the 3-D simulation with that calculated using a two-dimensional analytical design procedure, indicating that full 3-D analysis seems to be unnecessary. However it has been shown that unwanted flow phenomena and production problems can be ameliorated by means of visualization and the detailed information obtained from computer simulations. Comparative simulation results with polymers of different rheological properties in the same die are also described. The comprehensive analyses provide a means of interpretation for flow behavior, which allows modification of the die geometry for optimal design. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 23: 111,124, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.20002 [source] Interfacial instabilities in coextrusion flows of low-density polyethylenes: Experimental studiesPOLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 5 2000Costas Tzoganakis A fundamental investigation into the interfacial instability phenomenon was performed. Coextrusion experiments were carried out using well-characterized low-density (LDPE) resins in an effort to gain a better understanding of interfacial instability phenomena. The resins used were chosen carefully and included materials of high and low viscosity as well as broad and narrow molecular weight distributions (MWD). The experiments involved the coextrusion of either the same material in both layers or various combinations of the four materials and the focus of the work was to elucidate the effects of flow rates, molecular weight (MW) and MWD on interfacial instability. The effect of the geometry at the point where the materials merged was also investigated. It was concluded that there are essentially two types of interfacial instabilities and that the MW had the strongest effect on the occurrence of the "zig-zag" instability due to high interfacial stress while the breadth of the MWD had a strong effect on the appearance of the "wave" instability. Broad MWD materials had a greater tendency to exhibit interfacial instability, which is more due to layer ratio than processing conditions or die geometries. The results suggest that the origin of the "wave" type of interfacial instability is due to an extreme extensional deformation of the minor layer at the merge point and that the viscoelastic properties of adjacent layers determine the instability development. [source] A comprehensive 3-D analysis of polymer melt flow in slit extrusion diesADVANCES IN POLYMER TECHNOLOGY, Issue 2 2004Yihan Huang Abstract An understanding of flow behaviour of polymer melts through a slit die is extremely important for optimizing die design and, consequently, for die performance in processing polymer sheets and films. In view of the complex nature and the physical properties of polymer melts as well as of die geometries, such as coat-hanger dies, no simple mathematical formulae can be used to compute the flow regimes within dies. This paper illustrates the development of a three-dimensional (3-D) computer model of an example of a coat-hanger die design using the computational fluid dynamics package, FIDAP, based on the finite element method. A difference of only 3.7% was found when comparing the velocity distribution at the die exit obtained from the 3-D simulation with that calculated using a two-dimensional analytical design procedure, indicating that full 3-D analysis seems to be unnecessary. However it has been shown that unwanted flow phenomena and production problems can be ameliorated by means of visualization and the detailed information obtained from computer simulations. Comparative simulation results with polymers of different rheological properties in the same die are also described. The comprehensive analyses provide a means of interpretation for flow behavior, which allows modification of the die geometry for optimal design. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 23: 111,124, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.20002 [source] Effect of die geometry on foaming behaviors of high-melt-strength polypropylene with CO2JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 5 2008Patrick C. Lee Abstract This article reports on a systematic study that was conducted to investigate the effects of die geometry (i.e., pressure and pressure drop rate) on the cell nucleation and growth behaviors of noncrosslinked high-melt-strength (HMS) polypropylene (PP) foams blown with supercritical CO2. The experimental results showed that the cellular morphologies of PP foams were sensitive to the die geometry. Furthermore, the initial expansion behavior of the foam extrudate at the die exit was recorded using a high-speed CCD camera. This enabled us to achieve a more thorough understanding of the effect of die geometry on both the initial expansion behavior and the final cellular morphology of HMS PP foams. The effect of die temperature on cell morphology was also studied. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008 [source] Optimal design of the coat-hanger die used for producing melt-blown fabrics by finite element method and evolution strategiesPOLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 2 2009Kai Meng In this article, an optimal design procedure that improves the uniformity of flow rate distribution at the outlet of the coat-hanger die is proposed. The two-membered evolution strategy was combined with the finite element method to optimize the design parameters of an initial coat-hanger die geometry designed by analytical method based on one-dimensional lubrication method. The slot gap and the manifold angle were chosen to be the optimized design parameters, and the coefficient of variation (CV) value of the flow velocity at the die outlet is regarded as the objective function. The optimal results were achieved in the 22nd generation after 100 generations' evolution, which show that the CV% value of the flow velocity at the die outlet is only 1.3631% and decreases by 68% of the initial value caused by unoptimizable die geometry. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] A comprehensive experimental study and numerical modeling of parison formation in extrusion blow molding,POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 1 2007Azizeh-Mitra Yousefi Parison dimensions in extrusion blow molding are affected by two phenomena, swell due to stress relaxation and sag drawdown due to gravity. It is well established that the parison swell and sag are strongly dependent on the die geometry and the operating conditions. The availability of a modeling technique ensures a more accurate prediction of the entire blow molding process, as the proper prediction of the parison formation is the input for the remaining process phases. This study considers both the simulated and the experimental effects of the die geometry, the operating conditions, and the resin properties on the parison dimensions using high density polyethylene. Parison programming with a moving mandrel and the flow rate evolution in intermittent extrusion are also considered. The parison dimensions are measured experimentally by using the pinch-off mold technique on two industrial scale machines. The finite element software BlowParison® developed at IMI is used to predict the parison formation, taking into account the swell, sag, and nonisothermal effects. The comparison between the predicted parison/part dimensions and the corresponding experimental data demonstrates the efficiency of numerical tools in the prediction of the final part thickness and weight distributions. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:1,13, 2007. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] |