Dichotomous behavior of polymer melts in isothermal melt spinning

Isothermal melt spinning experiments have been conducted using two polyethylene melts of low density (LDPE) and high density (HDPE) to produce steady state spinline profiles. The data revealed the threadline extensional viscosity exhibiting a contrasting picture : extension thickening behavior for LDPE and extension thinning one for HDPE. A White-Metzner model having a strain rate-dependent relaxation time was then found to be able to simulate this dichotomy in melt spinning fairly well: the fluids whose relaxation times have smaller strain rate-dependence can fit LDPE data with extension thickening extensional viscosity whereas the fluids whose relaxation times have larger strain rate-dependence can fit HDPE data with extension thinning extensional viscosity. This dichotomous nature of viscoelastic fluids is also believed to be able to explain other similar contrasting phenomena exhibited by polymer melts, such as vortex/no vortex in entry flows, cohesive/ductile fracture modes in extension, and more/less stable draw resonance than Newtonian fluids.