DETERMINATION OF OPTIMUM EXTRUSION PROCESSING CONDITIONS FOR MULTILAYER, LOW EMISSION PLASTIC FUEL LINE SYSTEMS USING DUAL CAPILLARY RHEOMETER TECHNIQUES

摘要

Multilayer co-extrusion of plastics is fast becoming a very cost effective method of improving the barrier properties of plastic products. In this process individual polymers are melted and conveyed by separate extrusion systems, into a common distribution block and through a forming die where the polymer melts merge to form an integral multilayer structure. Many of these polymers do not form a mutual bond in the melt and so specially formulated tie layers have been developed in order to facilitate melt bonding and so prevent delamination. Multilayer polymer tube structures have recently been developed for use in automotive fuel lines. These multilayer structures are proving difficult to extrude because of their widely different temperature profiles required during extrusion, and the fact that all the melts enter a common die which can only be maintained at one particular temperature. The melt rheological characteristics of a range of commercially available barrier materials, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a terpolymer of vinylidene fluoride, tetrafluoroethylene and hexafluoropropylene (THV), plasticised Nylons and tie layer materials have been studied using Dual Capillary Rheometric techniques. The relative change in shear viscosity with temperature, up to 270°Cand shear rates up to 10~3 sec~(-1) have been investigated, for these materials, in order to determine optimum extrusion parameters during manufacture. The findings are confirmed by pilot plant tube extrusion trials using various multilayer structures. Arrhenius flow activation energies are also reported