A COUNTER-ROTATING MANDREL DIE FOR THE STUDY OF SUPERIMPOSED SHEAR FLOWS IN POLYMER NANOCOMPOSITES PROCESSING

摘要

A counter rotating mandrel die (CRMD) was designed and fabricated in cooperation with Dr. Collin GmbH in Ebersberg, Germany. The counter rotating mandrel die superimposes Poiseuille and Couette flows to achieve a die flow in which shear stresses are bi-helically distributed. The die has been successfully demonstrated for the extrusion of polymer nanocomposites comprising poly(ethylene-ran-methacrylic acid) ionomer (EMAA Na~+) / hydrogenated tallow-treated montmorillonite clay blends. Extruded films produced by operating the die in counter-rotation mode exhibited significantly greater in-plane orientation of the clay sheets than extruded films prepared without counter rotation.