| Abstract: | A rheological analysis of a wire-coating die is presented. The rheological forces which might play a role in the stability of the wire are estimated. In particular, consideration is given to lateral forces related to the secondary normal stress function acting on the wire which is in an eccentric position, and the hydrodynamic force related to the viscosity function acting on the wire which moves at an angle to the die axis. For the former a simple, yet general, expression was derived by solving the flow problem (without axial pressure gradient) with the Ericksen equation in bipolar coordinates. Results indicate that normal stresses stabilize the wire, i.e., tend to restore it to the central location, provided the secondary normal stress function is negative. The hydrodynamic effect tends to reduce the angle between wire and die axes, thus drawing attention to the need of perfect mechanical centering of the guider tip, since in this case this effect also reduces eccentricity. The need is stressed for further work, in particular, experimental measurement of the secondary normal stress function. |
