A Laval nozzle is a device that accelerates a low-speed
airstream
to form a high-speed airstream. In this work, we use a Laval nozzle
in the airstream channel design of a meltblown die to improve the
tensile properties of the fiber in the airstream field of the meltblown
die. The features of the airstream field of the meltblown die are
analyzed by numerical simulation. For a given parametrization, six
factors may be tuned to optimize the performance of the Laval airstream
channel of the meltblown die. We thus use a five-level, six-factor
orthogonal test method to optimize the airstream channel of the meltblown
die to determine the various factors that influence the airstream
field beneath the meltblown die. The results show that the optimized
Laval meltblown die performs better than the traditional die and that
the widths of the larynx and expansion segment most strongly affect
the airstream velocity beneath the Laval meltblown die. Compared with
a traditional die, the Laval die optimized by orthogonal testing increases
the peak airstream velocity by 17.54%, average velocity by 96.81%,
average temperature by 12.32%, and peak pressure by 14.61% and produces
weaker turbulence intensity near the spinneret. These characteristics
make the airstream beneath the die more stable and uniform and accelerate
the attenuation of the fiber diameter, producing more polymer nanofibers.
These results demonstrate a valuable approach to the design and optimization
of meltblown dies and provide a technical reference for the production
and application of the meltblown fiber production equipment.