A composite model has been developed to simulate a starve fed single screw extrusion of thermoplastics. The model is based on combining melt conveying models with new melting models. Illustrative computations are made for low-density polyethylene and polypropylene at various operating conditions. Simulations are made for axial fill factor, pressure, temperature, and melting profiles. The results are validated experimentally. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:2362-2374, 2014

An experimental study of the polymer behavior in a starve‐fed single screw extrusion is presented. Various polymeric materials, semicrystalline low density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), and (LDPE/PS) polyblends were investigated at various operating conditions. A “screw pulling‐out” technique was used to study polymer behavior along the screw. The solid conveying, melting position, the extent of starvation, and the fully filled regions were observed. Polymer samples were stripped off from the screw which was removed from the machine to investigate melting mechanism. It was seen that filling of the screw channel increases with the flow rate at a fixed screw speed, and decreases with the screw speed at a fixed flow rate. Contiguous solids melting mechanism was observed for flood fed extrusion, but it was not observed for starve‐fed extrusion. A new two‐stage physical model of polymer melting has been proposed with conductive mechanism for melting in the starve‐fed region and dispersed melting mechanism in the fully filled region. Melting action seems to be faster for starve feeding than for flood feeding, since the pellets are not compacted into a dense solid bed. It was observed that the pressure and power consumption considerably decrease with starvation. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers

A review paper is presented on modeling for polymer extrusion for both single screw and twin-screw extrusion. An issue of global modeling is discussed, which includes modeling for solid conveying, melting, melt flow, and co-operation of the screw/die system. The classical approach to global modeling of the extrusion process, which is based on separate models for each section of the screw, i.e., solid transport section, melting and pre-melting sections, and the melt flow section is presented. In this case, the global model consists of the elementary models. A novel continuous concept of global modeling based on CFD (Computational Fluids Dynamics) computations is also presented, and a concept of using the DEM (Discrete Element Method) computation coupled with CFD computations is discussed.

Previous experimental studies of the polymer behavior in a starve fed single screw extrusion process have shown that contiguous solids melting mechanism which is observed for flood fed extrusion was not observed for starve fed extrusion. A new two-stage physical model of polymer melting in a starve fed single screw extrusion has been proposed with conductive mechanism for melting in the partially filled region and dispersed melting mechanism in the fully filled region. Mathematical models have been proposed for melting in both those regions. The models have been validated experimentally.