Silver sulfide, Ag2S, is most commonly known as the tarnish that forms on silver surfaces due to the exposure of silver to hydrogen sulfide. The mineral acanthite is a monoclinic crystalline form of Ag2S that is stable to 176°C. Upon heating above 176°C, there is a phase conversion to a body-centered cubic (bcc) form referred to as argentite. Further heating above 586°C results in conversion of the bcc phase to a face-centered cubic (fcc) phase polymorph. Both high-temperature cubic phases are solid-state silver ion conductors. In situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction was used to better understand the polymorphs of Ag2S on heating. The existing powder diffraction file (PDF) entries for the high-temperature fcc polymorph are of questionable reliability, prompting a full Rietveld structure refinement of the bcc and fcc polymorphs. Rietveld analysis was useful to show that the silver atoms are largely disordered and can only be described by unreasonably large isotropic displacement parameters or split site models.

In this paper we define the extruder analysis in the Eulerian frame. Then, we convert the analysis to the Lagrangian frame to avoid the difficult moving boundary problem. Finally, unlike the classical analysis we convert the solution back to the Eulerian fame before calculation of velocities and flow rates. The single screw pump or extruder has classically been evaluated by leaving the analysis in the Lagrangian reference frame and the flow in the pump is described as due only to down channel drag flow. Since velocity is not frame indifferent, we complete the analysis by transforming the Lagrangian analysis back to the Eulerian solution. The pumping mechanism is quite different when the velocities are properly converted back to the Eulerian frame of reference. This new analysis demonstrates that, if the problem is approached using superposition, the pumping mechanism in a screw pump is due to the “piston like” action of the helix x-component velocity, and that the down channel z-component velocity, drag flow, from the helix and screw core reduce the maximum pump efficiency of the helix by about 50 %.

A new analysis of the solids conveying of single screw extruders and solids feeders is developed. The new analysis is based on an assumption that the solids are pushed up the barrel by the flights on the screw. The new analysis when tested on literature data was found to be in qualitative agreement with all ratios of screw to barrel friction factor of the polymeric materials reported.

A study of the effect of extrusion conditions on the degradation of high density polyethylene was carried out. The extent of degradation was quantified by dynamic viscometry. The effect of barrel temperature profile, screw speed, and feed rate on the degradation of high density polyethylene was determined. The viscosity response of high density polyethylene is complex with respect to extrusion conditions. Residence time studies were carried out to correlate the viscosity data. Simulations of simple theoretical models give an insight into the flow behavior of the polymer in a twin screw extruder.