Application of Network Analysis to Flow Systems with Alternating Wave Channels: Part A (Pressure Flows).

Wave-dispersion screws have been used industrially in many types of extrusion processes, injection molding, and blow molding. These high-performance screws are constructed by replacing the metering section of a conventional screw with a melt-conveying zone consisting of two or more parallel flow channels that oscillate periodically in-depth over multiple cycles. With the barrier flight between the screw channels being selectively undercut, the molten resin is strategically forced to flow across the secondary flight, assuring repeated cross-channel mixing of the polymer melt.

A Network-Theory-Based Comparative Study of Melt-Conveying Models in Single-Screw Extrusion: A. Isothermal Flow.

In many extrusion processes, the metering section is the rate-controlling part of the screw. In this functional zone, the polymer melt is pressurized and readied to be pumped through the die. We have recently proposed a set of heuristic models for predicting the flow behavior of power-law fluids in two- and three-dimensional metering channels.

Extended Regression Models for Predicting the Pumping Capability and Viscous Dissipation of Two-Dimensional Flows in Single-Screw Extrusion.

Generally, numerical methods are required to model the non-Newtonian flow of polymer melts in single-screw extruders. Existing approximation equations for modeling the throughput⁻pressure relationship and viscous dissipation are limited in their scope of application, particularly when it comes to special screw designs. Maximum dimensionless throughputs of Π V < 2.