Study of the different flow patterns in the melting section of a co-rotating twin-screw extruder

摘要

Understanding the phenomena of twin-screw extrusion (TSE) is the first step in investigating this process. Visualization technology incorporated in a co-rotating twin-screw extruder was developed for this purpose. This technology enabled the extrusion phenomena to be directly observed and analyzed. The present work focuses on the melting process. It is revealed and verified that there are different flow patterns in the melting section during extrusion, with different degrees of fill. A melting model for one type of flow pattern is established. The significance of the present work is to establish the variety conception for the flow patterns. According to this conception, correspoding models should be established for each flow pattern identified.