Kyonsuku Min

Flow Patterns in Elastomers and Their Carbon Black Compounds during Extrusion through Dies

Abstract A basic study of flow patterns in elastomers in the entrance region of a die has been carried out for various gum elastomers including emulsion and solution butadiene—styrene copolymers, polybutadiene, and natural rubber. All exhibit streamline flow into the entrance with the exception of a cold mastication degraded natural rubber which gave evidence of vortices in corners. A study of a die with a sharp diverging region showed dead spaces for all the elastomers. Carbon black compounds all exhibited converging streamline flow in a 180° entrance angle die and stagnant regions in the sharply diverging die. Evidence based on marker motions has been presented for slip in elastomer compounds in the entrance region.

Flow Visualization of the Motions of Elastomers and Molten Plastics in an Internal Mixer

Abstract A basic study of flow visualization of motions of elastomers in a model internal mixer with Banbury rotors has been presented. The behavior of butadienestyrene copolymers (SBR), cis-polybutadiene (BR), natural rubber (NR), and various molten plastics has been investigated. The SBRs and BR behave similarly, exhibiting tearing when stretched by the moving rotor tip away from the bridge in the mixer. This results in large stagnant regions between the bridge and ram in the mixer. The NR does not tear but stretches out when the rotor tip pulls it around the rotor circumference. At low fill factors, the NR bands about the rotors. Studies of molten plastics including low density, high density polyethylene and polystyrene are also reported. Longitudinal motions of rubber on the rotors have been investigated.

Modelling of shear viscosity behavior and extrusion through dies for rubber compounds

Abstract This paper marks a first effort to develop a fundamental basis for die flow analysis and design for rubber compounds. We have accomplished a modelling of the shear viscosity function and its application to one- and two-dimensional shearing in die cross sections. There are major limitations in what we have done, much of which is apparent even in the early work of Mooney. In particular, we have not considered (i) slip phenomena on die walls, (ii) die entrance and exit pressure losses associated with converging and diverging dies, nor (iii) extrudate swell. We have an active research in our laboratories investigating these problems. In the future, we are seeking to generalize the procedures described in this paper to more complex die designs. Inclusion of entrance and exit effects and rigorous analysis of coathanger dies requires the handling of elongational flow contributions, a still unsolved problem.

Air-Lubricated Die for Extrusion of Rubber Compounds

Abstract The flow of a rubber compound through a die is an essential step of a rubber extrusion operation. The die forms the compound into the desired shape. In many cases, the output of the extruder is limited by the resistance of flow in the die. Too high pressure losses in the die may additionally result in an excessive increase of the temperature, and unwanted crosslinking of the rubber compound may occur. Various possibilities are available to reduce the resistance of flow in the die. The simplest one is elevation of the processing temperature, which leads to reduction of viscosity. This can be done, however, only within some limit. Reduction of the pressure losses in the die may also be achieved by decreasing the die length, but this option produces larger swelling. Other more innovative procedures may be suggested. Evidence exists that the pressure losses in the die can be reduced by introducing sound or ultrasonic waves of high intensity into the die zone. In this paper, we present what we believe...

Flow Visualization Investigations of the Addition of Carbon Black and Oil to Elastomers in an Internal Mixer

Abstract Internal mixing is one of the most important of processing operations, being used to incorporate fillers, oils, and other compounding ingredients into elastomers and plastics. The development of internal mixers has a long history largely described in the patent literature. Published experimental studies of flow in an internal mixer have been few, and primarily involved measurements of energy consumption, temperature histories, and characteristics of dumped mixes. It is only recently that efforts have been made to directly observe the motions of elastomers in an internal mixer. Freakley and Wan Idris and Asai et al. have made flow visualization studies of the motions of silicone rubber and aqueous carboxymethyl cellulose solutions at room temperature. Freakley and his coworkers and Toki et al. have followed motions of rubber in an internal mixer using mounted pressure transducers. More recently, the present authors have developed experimental techniques to visualize the flow of commercial elastome...

Modelling Flow in Pin-Barrel Screw Extruders

Abstract The flow in a pin-barrel extruder has been analyzed based on a Newtonian fluid model. A numerical simulation based on the FAN method of Tadmor and his coworkers and an analytical model were used. The calculations show that the introduction of slices into screw flights and pins make the apparatus a much poorer screw pump. It would appear that the machine is though an effective continuous (distributive) mixing device.

Comparison of Screw Extrusion of Rubber Compounds with Different Extruder/Screw Combinations

Abstract The extrusion of rubber compounds has long been an area of industrial importance. There have, however, been few basic studies on the flow characteristics of rubber compounds. Considerably more extensive investigations have been reported on the mechanisms of screw extruders for thermoplastics. The latter researches are summarized in the monograph by Tadmor and Klein and the textbook of Tadmor and Gogos. Maddock, and others carried out experimental studies which led to basic flow mechanisms of thermoplastics in screw extruders. Maddock fed pigmented pellets to screw extruders and pulled screws from the barrel with the plastic stips in it, which were then unwound and cross-sectioned. Few screw-pulling investigations have been published for rubber compounds. We are only familiar with the work of Menges and Lehnen and our own recent studies. In the present paper, we describe a fundamental study of flow mechanisms in screw extruders for rubber compounds. We expand our studies based on the Maddock screw...

Simulation of Flow and Mixing in an Internal Mixer

Abstract A mathematical model is developed for simulation of flow in an internal mixer with two counter rotating non-intermeshing rotors is presented. The model presumes rotors with a screw flight which is separated into two sections. The mixing chamber is taken to be fully filled and rotor curvature neglected in analogy to screw extruder analyses. Lubrication theory is used and the fluid presumed Newtonian. The flow patterns within the mixing chamber are computed. The conditions under which rotor designs lead to global circulation patterns within the mixing chamber and good distributive mixing are considered. We also investigated the extent of fluid motion over rotor tips which should lead to dispersive mixing.

An Experimental Study of Flow and Stress Fields in a Pressurized Mooney Viscometer

Abstract The boundary conditions of rubber compounds on solid surfaces during extrusion has long been a subject of question. The concerns of Mooney on this topic date back 60 years. He continued to return to this question throughout his career. In more recent years Vinogradov and his coworkers have called attention to slip phenomena occurring in the extrusion of elastomers through dies. This is associated with fluctuating pressure losses which occur at the onset of extrudate distortion. Such behavior has also been observed with rubber-carbon-black compounds. More recently, Turner and Moore have developed a pressurized rotational rheometer to characterize this type of behavior in rubber compounds. We have recognized the importance of this problem in our own laboratories. Marker experiments have been used in extrusion of rubber compounds to detect slippage. In the present paper, we describe an experimental study of the response of gum elastomers and their carbon black compounds in a pressurized Mooney visco...

Experimental and Theoretical Study of the Flow Characteristics of Rubber Compounds in an Extruder Screw

Abstract We describe an experimental and theoretical study of the mechanisms of flow of rubber compounds in a screw extruder. Two compounds, a typical synthetic rubber (butadiene-styrene copolymer-cis-1, 4 polybutadiene) based passenger tire tread (PTT) and a natural rubber based truck tire tread (TTT), were investigated in a 1½ inch NRM cold feed screw extruder using a screw with a constant channel depth and constant channel pitch along the whole screw length. The rubber was cured in place and the screw removed. The screw exhibited starvation behavior except near the die. The length of the rubber strip in the screw is proportional to the pressure developed at the die. Marker studies showed transverse circulating flows beginning in the region immediately downstream from the hopper. These observations indicate that cold feed extruders exhibit a metering region flow, albeit sometimes starved, from entry port to die. Under these conditions the extruder is independent of the pressure developed in the screw channel. A simple non-Newtonian isothermal mathematical model for the metering zone is described. The rubber compound is considered as a pseudoplastic material with a yield value. A comparison of theory and experiment shows that a one dimensional isothermal model quite accurately predicts the flow rate pressure development of the rubber compound in our screw (with a shallow prismatic channel) when starvation is considered. The yield value of the rubber compound influences screw characteristic curves only for very high values of the dimensionless pressure gradient.