Influence of low density polyethylene quality on extrusion coating processability

In order to obtain explicit information about the influence of different low density polyethylene (LDPE) quality parameters on extrusion coating processability, a test run was made with an autoclave reactor and the products were investigated. All the grades manufactured had melt indices (MI), densities, molecular weight distributions (MWD), and degrees of long chain branching(LCB) typical of commercial extrusion coating grades. The processability characteristics studied were maximum line speed and neck-in. The influence of MI, density, and extrusion melt temperature were systematically investigated. It was found that the maximum line speed rose with increasing MI, density, and extrusion melt temperature, and that an increasing extrusion melt temperature led to a growing difference between the maximum line speed at a constant coating thickness and the maximum line speed at a constant screw speed. Neck-in was found to increase with increasing MI, increasing density, and increasing coating thickness. These effects were more pronounced at higher extrusion melt temperatures. When using the extrusion temperature needed to achieve a certain line speed for each grade, the influence of MI on neck-in was practically non-existent.     

Thermomechanical analysis and modeling of the extrusion coating process

During the extrusion coating process, a polymer film is extruded through a flat die, stretched in air, and then coated on a substrate (steel sheet in our case) in a laminator consisting of a chill roll and a flexible pressure roll. The nip, i.e. the area formed by the contact between the pressure and the chill rolls, constitutes the heart of the extrusion coating process. Indeed, in this region, some of the most critical properties, such as adhesion, barrier properties, optical properties, are achieved or lost. In this article, we first present an experimental investigation of the coating step, which enables to characterize the leading thermomechanical phenomena. It is shown that there is no polymer macroscopic flow in the nip, but a local flow within the asperities of the steel substrate surface. This microscopic flow, at the interface between the film and the substrate, is slowed by strong cooling conditions in the nip. Several models are then proposed, giving access to the temperature profile through polymer thickness and substrate, the pressure distribution in the nip as well as the behavior of the polymer melt in the nip at the interface with the substrate. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

INFLUENCE OF EXTRUSION COATING CONDITIONS ON STRUCTURE AND TENSILE PROPERTIES OF POLYETHYLENES

It is well known that the properties of a final polymer product are determined not only by the polymer characteristics but also, via process-related structural changes, by the processing technique and by processing conditions such as cooling rate and machine speed. In this study, the influence of the extrusion coating process on the structure and properties of LDPE-, LLDPE-, and m-LLDPE-grades was evaluated. Process variables such as the melt temperature, the draw ratio, the length of the air gap between the die exit, and the laminating nip and the machine speed were studied. The primary interest was in the influence of the process parameters on the degree of orientation and its corresponding impact on the tensile and barrier properties (water vapor transmission rate) of the polymer films. The degree of orientation of the films, assessed by shrinkage measurements, was found to be directly related to the elongational strain rate imposed on the films during the drawing stage of the coating process. Furthermore, the strain at break of the films in the machine direction correlated well with the shrinkage of the films, that is, the strain at break was strongly related to the imposed elongational strain rate. The relation is naturally also dependent on the polymer grade used and on how its rheological properties are affected by the process temperature. The melt temperature had a distinct influence on the water vapor transmission rate through the polymer films. This is discussed in terms of the orientation of the specimens.     

Studies on wire coating extrusion. I. The rheology of wire coating extrusion

Wire coating extrusion was studied, both experimentally and theoretically, using a pressure-type die. For the experimental study, a wire coating apparatus of laboratory scale was constructed, consisting of a pay-off device, extruder, cross-head and pressure-type die, cooling trough, and take-up device. The materials used were low- and high-density polyethylenes and thermoplastic rubber. The following measurements were taken during the experiments: (1) the axial pressure profiles in the die, (2) melt flow rate, and (3) take-up speed. The measurements were then used to determine the effect of the rheological properties of the polymers on the performance of the wire coating operation. It was found that a reduction in axial pressure gradient and a reduction in the recoverable elastic strain of a molten polymer at the die exit can be realized as the speed of the wire is increased. For the theoretical study, using a power-law model, the equations of motion were solved numerically to predict the volumetric flow rate as functions of the pressure gradient in the die and the rheological properties of the polymer being extruded. Solution of the system equations permitted us to predict the velocity profile and shear stress distributions of a molten polymer inside a pressure-type wire coating die.     

Dynamic behavior of a single screw plasticating extruder part I: Experimental study

The dynamic responses of a 2–1/2 inch single screw plasticating extruder and extrusion line were investigated. Step changes in screw speed, take-up speed, back pressure, and processing materials were used to determine the transient responses of barrel pressures, die pressure, melt temperature, and extrudate thickness. Dynamic responses of the entire extrusion line can be explained by the flow mechanism of the extruder and the logical properties of the polymer used. A capillary rheometer was also used to determine if it could simulate pressure responses in the extruder for screw speed changes. Results showed that capillary rheometer was helpful in estimating the short term pressure responses in the die.     

管壁厚度对微挤出成型的影响分析

基于Bird-Carreau黏度模型,运用有限元方法对三维等温微管挤出成型流动模型进行了数值分析,主要研究了管壁厚度对微管挤出成型过程中挤出胀大、速度分布、剪切速率和口模压降等重要指标的影响。结果表明,当熔体入口体积流率相等时,随着管壁厚度的增大,挤出物挤出胀大率和横截面尺寸变化量增大;口模出口端面上熔体的二次流动增强,但挤出速度和剪切速率减小;熔体在口模内的压力降明显下降;适当增加管壁厚度,有利于提高微管挤出质量。     

Fiber orientation and mechanical properties of short-fiber-reinforced injection-molded composites: Simulated and experimental results

A numerical simulation is presented that combines the flow simulation during injection molding with an efficient algorithm for predicting the orientation of short fibers in thin composite parts. Fiber-orientation state is represented in terms of a second-order orientation tensor. Fiber-fiber interactions are modeled by means of an isotropic rotary diffusion. The simulation predicts flow-aligned fiber orientation (shell region)near the surface with transversely aligned (core region) fibers in the vicinity of the mid-plane. The effects of part thickness and injection speed on fiber orientation are analyzed. Experimental measurements of fiber orientation in plaque-shaped parts for three different combinations of cavity thickness and injection speed are reported. It is found that gapwise-converging flow due to the growing layer of solidified polymer near the walls tends to flow-align the fibers near the entrance, whereas near the melt front, gapwise-diverging flow due to the diminishing solid layer tends to lign the fibers transverse to the flow. The effect of this gapwise-converging-diverging flow is found to be especially significant for thin parts molded at slower injection speeds, which have a proportionately thicker layer of solidified polymer during the filling process. If the fiber orientation is known, predictions of the anisotropic tensile moduli and thermal-expansion coefficients of the composite are obtained by using the equations for unidirectional composites and taking an orientation average. These predictions are found to agree reasonably well with corresponding experimental measurements.     

A study of melt density of flowing linear polyethylene

Linear polyethylene was extruded from a capillary rheometer with the driving piston operated at fixed speed and at fixed pressure. Apparent viscosity and melt density were measured in both extrusion modes. Apparent density decreased at shear rates approaching the melt fracture region in fixed piston-speed operation. Flow of other polymer melts was essentially incompressible in fixed piston-speed operation, and all polymers exhibited incompressible flow in fixed-pressure extrusion. The oscillating portion of the flow curve of linear polyethylene reflects alternating periods in which the polymer exits faster and slower than the rate at which the advancing piston clears the rheometer reservoir. Linear polyethylene behaves differently from most other polymers in fixed piston-speed extrusion and during melt fracture because of the existence of a more extensive entanglement network in the melt. It is suggested that melt fracture in general results from a tensile failure of the entanglement network, which may occur at the die inlet and in the orifice.     

Thermoplastic extrusion—the mechanism of the formation of extrudate structure and properties

Systems processed by thermoplastic extrusion can be regarded as heterophase polymer melts of incompatible water-plasticized biopolymers. In the process of thermoplastic extrusion, proteins and polysaccharides are melted at high pressure and temperature below the temperature region of their thermal decomposition. Dispersed particles of these systems can be deformed in flow. The mixed-melt anisotropic structure, formed in flow, is fixed by rapid conversion of the melt jet that lets the extruder die from a viscous state to a rubber-like state and then to a glassy state caused by cooling and drying. Incompatibility of proteins and polysaccharides in their water-plasticized melt mixtures impacts on structure formation and texturization during thermoplastic extrusion. Presented at the 20th ISF World Congress and 83rd AOCS Annual Meeting and Expo, May 10–14, 1992, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.     

Research on a New Variotherm Injection Molding Technology and its Application on the Molding of a Large LCD Panel

The polymer injection products produced by using the current injection molding method usually have many defects, such as short shot, jetting, sink mark, flow mark, weld mark, and floating fibers. These defects have to be eliminated by using post-processing processes such as spraying and coating, which will cause environment pollution and waste in time, materials, energy and labor. These problems can be solved effectively by using a new injection method, named as variotherm injection molding or rapid heat cycle molding (RHCM). In this paper, a new type of dynamic mold temperature control system using steam as heating medium and cooling water as coolant was developed for variotherm injection molding. The injection mold is heated to a temperature higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin, and keeps this temperature in the polymer melt filling stage. To evaluate the efficiency of steam heating and coolant cooling, the mold surface temperature response during the heating stage and the polymer melt temperature response during the cooling stage were investigated by numerical thermal analysis. During heating, the mold surface temperature can be raised up rapidly with an average heating speed of 5.4°C/s and finally reaches an equilibrium temperature after an effective heating time of 40 s. It takes about 34.5 s to cool down the shaped polymer melt to the ejection temperature for demolding. The effect of main parameters such as mold structure, material of mold insert on heating/cooling efficiency and surface temperature uniformity were also discussed based on simulation results. Finally, a variotherm injection production line for 46-inch LCD panel was constructed. The test production results demonstrate that the mold temperature control system developed in this study can dynamically and efficiently control mold surface temperature without increasing molding cycle time. With this new variotherm injection molding technology, the defects on LCD panel surface occurring in conventional injection molding process, such as short shot, jetting, sink mark, flow mark, weld mark, and floating fibers were eliminated effectively. The surface gloss of the panel was improved and the secondary operations, such as sanding and coating, are not needed anymore.     

石墨烯镀层辅助快速热循环注射成型方法的研究

提出了一种以石墨烯纳米镀层辅助实现快速热循环注射成型的新方法,采用化学气相沉积工艺在模具型腔表面制备连续且致密的化学键合石墨烯镀层,仅需低压电源驱动就能将型腔表面温度迅速提升至聚合物材料玻璃化转变温度（Tg）之上并进行实时调控,型腔表面温度分布均匀且具有较高的降温速率,可满足注射成型快变模温调控的要求。结果表明,利用石墨烯镀层快速热循环注射成型方法可有效改善注射成型熔体流动行为,明显消除制品的熔接痕。     

熔体挤出速度对共挤吹塑型坯离模膨胀影响的数值模拟

基于三维非等温黏弹性熔体多相分层流动有限元数值模拟技术,模拟研究了熔体挤出速度对多层共挤吹塑成型环坯离模膨胀和初始温度场的影响规律,揭示了型坯离模膨胀的产生机理。结果表明,多层共挤吹塑成型环坯离模膨胀是由熔体的二次流动诱发而产生,与熔体流出机头进入自由膨胀段的二次流动强度成正比,而其二次流动强度随着熔体挤出速度的增大而增强,因而导致环坯离模膨胀随着熔体挤出速度的增加而增大;多层共挤吹塑成型熔体的二次流动强度与其第二法向应力差成正比关联关系,这与Debbaut的试验研究结论完全吻合,表明二次流动是由第二法向应力差驱动而产生。     

注气口前后段螺杆中聚合物熔体的数值研究

运用Polyflow软件对微孔塑料挤出成型过程中注气口前后段螺杆进行三位瞬态模拟,研究了不同聚合物黏度、不同螺杆转速下注气口处的熔体压力场及熔体质量流量。结果表明,沿轴向640~670 mm处最符合作为超临界气体注入口的工艺条件;注气口处熔体压力在径向范围变化幅度不大,只需在注气口处所注入的超临界气体压力略大于熔体压力即可;随着螺杆转速的增大,注气口处聚合物熔体质量流量也随之增加,且两者之间呈现规律性变化,故可得到在不同螺杆转速下聚合物熔体质量流量大小。     

Effect of process conditions on birefringence development in injection-molded parts. I. Numerical analysis

Analysis of the injection-molding process based on Leonov viscoelastic fluid model has been employed to study the effects of process conditions on the residual stress and birefringence development in injection-molded parts during the entire molding process. An integrated formulation was derived and numerically implemented to solve the nonisothermal, compressible, and viscoelastic nature of polymer melt flow. Simulations under process conditions of different melt temperatures, mold temperatures, filling speeds, and packing pressures are performed to predict the birefringence variation in both gapwise and planar direction. It has been found that melt temperature and the associated frozen layer thickness are the dominant factors that determine the birefringence development within the molded part. For a higher mold temperature, melt temperature, and injection speed, the averaged birefringence along gapwise direction is lower. The birefringence also increases significantly with the increased packing pressure especially along gate area. The simulated results show good consistency with those measured experimentally. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Morphological distribution of injection-moulded isotactic polypropylene: a study of synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering

Synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) studies were carried out to investigate effects of thickness of injection-moulded isotactic polypropylene (iPP) plates on shear-induced morphology and morphological distribution through the depth direction of the plates. Different levels of effective shear flow are imposed on the iPP melt by changing the thickness of the plates although the injection moulding is performed with the same injection ram speed and the same melt and mould temperatures. Shish-kebab-like morphology is found roughly 100 μm from the surface of plates, regardless of the thickness of plates. However, the type of shish-kebab-like morphology is very sensitive to the thickness. The shish-kebab structure at the surface region can be changed into the kebab-structure only or random crystalline lamellae as the thickness of the plate increases. The preferential orientation of crystalline lamellae along the flow direction strongly depends on the thickness of the plate, although the melt-shear does not significantly enhance the degree of linear crystallinity. It is also found that in the core region, the slow relaxation of polymer chains in the thick plate results in a higher degree of linear crystallinity. The results indicate that the shear-induced morphology is strongly dependent on effective shear flow and should be described individually.     

The influence of resin characteristics on the high speed melt spinning of isotactic polypropylene. II. On-line studies of diameter,birefringence, and temperature profiles

An investigation was carried out of the high speed melt spinning of three polypropylene resins with melt flow indices of 12, 35, and 300. On-line measurements were made of diameter, birefringence, and temperature as a function of distance from the spinneret for a range of spinning conditions for each polymer. A plateau (decrease of cooling rate) in the temperature profile was associated with the occurrence of crystallization in the spinline. The position of this plateau correlated with a rapid rise in the birefringence profile and a rapid decrease in the rate of drawdown in the diameter profile. The temperature and birefringence profiles were used to determine the temperature and position on the spinline at which the onset of crystallization occurred. It was found that the position and temperature of crystallization onset varied considerably with changes in take-up velocity, extrusion temperature, and resin melt index (weight average molecular weight). The crystallization onset occurred nearer the spinneret and at higher temperatures with (1) an increase of take-up velocity, (2) a decrease of extrusion temperature, or (3) a decrease of resin melt flow index. An analysis was carried out to estimate the rate of stress development with distance along the spinline; the results were also used to estimate the stress at the onset of crystallization for each spinning condition. It was concluded that the observed behavior could be attributed to the role of spinline stress in producing molecular orientation and consequent increase of crystallization rate.     

Shrinkage in extruded moisture crosslinked silane‐grafted polyethylene wire insulation

Shrinkage studies were conducted on silane‐grafted moisture crosslinkable linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE) insulation stripped from extrusion‐coated copper conductors. The insulation, which possesses orientation imparted during melt processing, showed remarkable levels of shrinkage when heated above the melting point of the polymer, though the shrinkage can be greatly reduced by moisture crosslinking the insulation below the melting point of the LLDPE. Shrinkage along the direction of orientation was accompanied by swelling in the other dimensions. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) revealed several trends, including a decrease in both melting point and degree of crystallinity with increasing crosslinking. In the first heat after annealing, crosslinked samples exhibited a shoulder in the DSC endotherm several degrees below the normal melting point of the LLDPE. In agreement with prior studies in silane‐grafted HDPE, relaxation of orientation by annealing appeared to result in an increase in the enthalpy of melting. The degree of shrinkage was also found to be dependent on the insulation thickness, which is attributed to faster cooling in thinner insulation immediately following extrusion coating. The results highlight the extensive built in stresses that can be frozen into polymer layers in fabricated articles due to melt orientation. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Melt transformation coextrusion. I.

Using the Melt Transformation Coextrusion process it is possible to enhance the mechanical and thermal properties of polymeric extrudates directly from the melt and maintain continuous production rates. This adaption of melt transformation extrusion has significantly enhanced line speed compared to the precursor process. The required operating pressures in both processes are low enough to allow for the usage of commercial plasticating extruders as the polymer melt sources. Molecular orientation necessary to produce property enhancement is induced in the converging section of specially designed dies and retained by the core layer of the extrudate by imposing a steep temperature gradient in the land section of the die. Mechanical properties (i.e. tensile strength and modulus) and melting point elevation observed for the polypropylene core/polyethylene skin extrudates were functions of extrusion pressure. The highest values of these properties noted were: tensile modulus, 9.37 × 10⁵ psi; tensile strength, 2.10 × 10⁴ psi; and melting point elevation in excess of 10 K. The levels of property enhancement seem to be bound in their lower limit by a metastable liquid crystalline form. The upper theoretical limit of property enhancement should correspond to a fully extended chain morphology.     

Improving rheological property of polymer melt via low frequency melt vibration

A pulse pressure was superimposed on the melt flow in extrusion, called vibration extrusion. A die (L/D = 17.5) was attached to this device to study the rheological properties of an amorphous polymer (ABS) and semicrystalline polymer (PP, HDPE), prepared in the vibration field, and the conventional extrusion were studied for comparison. Results show that the melt vibration technique is an effective processing tool for improving the polymer melt flow behavior for both crystalline and amorphous polymers. The enhanced melt rheological property is also explained in terms of shear thinning criteria. Increasing with vibration frequency, extruded at constant vibration pressure amplitude, the viscosity decreases sharply, and so does when increasing vibration pressure amplitude at a constant vibrational frequency. The effect of vibrational field on melt rheological behavior depends greatly on the melt temperature, and the great decrease in viscosity is obtained at low temperature. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 5292–5296, 2006     

Thermal relaxation in extrusion-oriented polyethylene rods

To study how the properties of extruded medium-density polyethylene products are influenced by the microstructure, rodlike samples, whose morphology can be changed under appropriate processing conditions, were produced by extrusion. A special extrusion line was developed consisting of an extruder equipped with a cylindrical die, thermal separator, lubrication unit, and cooling die. A wide range of representative morphologies was achieved using various temperatures of polymer melt and of the cooling die (calibration unit). A significant structural gradient, determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), was found in all extruded rods, depending on the thermal conditions. The molecular orientation through the section of the rods, resulting from the shear during the extrusion, was determined by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and by thermal relaxation, showing good agreement between both methods. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.