Extruder screw

The maximum power P, kW) being supplied for single-screw extruders varies with screw diameter (D, mm) approximately as follows ... 

FIG. 18-48 Mixing enhancers for single-screw extruders a) Maddock (straight), (h) Maddock (tapered), (c) pineapple, (d) gear, (e) pin,... 

FIG. 18-50 Intermeshing corotating twin screw extruder (a) drive motor, (h) gearbox, (c) feed port, (d) barrel, (e) assembled rotors, (f) vent, (g) barrel valve, (h) kneading paddles, ( ) conveying screws, (/) splined shafts, (k) blister rings, (APV Chemical Machinery, Inc.)... 

The throughput rate of intermeshing twin-screw extruders (Fig. 18-56) and the Farrel continuous mixer (Fig. 18-51) is scaled up with diameter to about the 2.6 power. 

Screw Extruders Screw extruders employ a screw to force material in a plastic state continuously through a die. If the die hole is round, a compact in the form of a rod is formed, whereas if the hole is a thin slit, a film or sheet is formed. Many other forms are also possible. 

A common use of screw extruders is in the forming and compounding of plastics. Table 20-54 shows typical outputs that can be expected per horsepower for various plastics and the characteristics of several popular extruder sizes. 

Deairing pug-mill extruders which combine mixing, densification, and extrusion in one operation are available for agglomerating clays, catalysts, fertihzers, etc. Table 20-55 gives data on screw extruders for the production of catalyst pellets. 

TABLE 20-55 Characteristics of Pelletizing Screw Extruders for Catalysts ... 

Twin-screw extruders now dominate the extrusion field, particularly because of their positive pumping action which is so important with PVC in powder form. 

It is also possible to extrude alcohol-containing celluloid compositions through either ram or screw extruders under carefully controlled conditions. The process is now believed to be universally obsolete. 

Example 4.1 A single screw extruder is to be designed with the following characteristics. 

Example 4.2 A single screw extruder is to be used to manufacture a nylon rod 5 mm in diameter at a production rate of 1.5 m/min. Using the following information, calculate the required screw speed. 

Comparison of single-screw, co-rotating and counter-rotating twin-screw extruders... 

Mnciple materials and the same between material and screw case of single screw extruder on gear pump principle... 

The following table compares the single screw extruder with the main types of twin screw extruders. 

In the intermittent processes, single or multiple parisons are extruded using a reciprocating screw or ram accumulator. In the former system the screw moves forward to extrude the parisons and then screws back to prepare the charge of molten plastic for the next shot. In the other system the screw extruder supplies a constant output to an accumulator. A ram then pushes melt from the accumulator to produce a parison as required. 

TPU could be synthesized by either a one-step or a two-step method. If the twin (or multi) screw extruder is used, the continued production is possible. 

Several commercial products of PVC/TPU blends are available. The BF Goodrich Chemical Group has a PVC/ TPU blend based on their Estane series TPUs. For example, their Estane 54620, a polyester-based TPU with a °ShA 85 hardness, shows excellent compatibility with flexible PVC. The blends are produced by mixing PVC, TPU, plasticizer, stabilizer, and lubricant in a twin-screw extruder. These polymeric blends show intermediate mechanical properties between PVC and TPU. 

A twin-screw extruder fitted with a stuffer box. The twin-screw extruder continues to blend the compound as it passes through although with the dryer. 

In another case where the twin-screw extruder was used, the rubber and plastic were melt mixed with all ingredients in a similar manner as described in blend compositions for static vulcanizations. The product was then dumped, cooled, and granulated. The premixed granules were then fed into a twin-screw extruder where a very narrow temperature profile was maintained with a relative high compression (2 1), and the screw speed was adjusted depending on the final torque and the flow behavior of the extruded stock. The stock was cured by shear force and temperature enforced by the twin-screw extruder. The dynamically crosslinked blend was taken out in the form of a strip or solid rod to determine the... 

During 1989-1990, the Research Institute for Petrochemistry, Czechoslovakia developed extrudable PVC-wood (25 wt.%) composites using a twin-screw extruder, which produce 442 Ib/h and about 0.33 million Ib/year hardboards with approximately 0.25-0.85 cm ( /lo- /s in) thickness and 101.6 cm (40 in) wide (D. Maldas, personal communication, 1992.)... 

Prior to blending, the LCP was dried at 155°C for 5 h. The melt blending of the materials was carried out with a Berstorff ZE 25 x 33D corotating twin-screw extruder at a melt temperature of 290°C, with a screw speed of 200 rpm, and an output of 6.4 kg/h. The extrudate was immediately quenched in a water bath and repelletized. 

In preliminary tests, melt mixed blends of PP and LCP were processed at six different temperatures (Tcyi 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, and 280°C) with a Brabender Plasti-Corder PLE 651 laboratory single-screw extruder. The measured melt temperatures were about 10°C higher than the cylinder temperatures (Tcyi). The objective was to study the influence of temperature on the size and shape of the dispersed LCP phase. Two different polypropylenes were used to ascertain the effect of the viscosity of the matrix on the final morphology. Different draw ratios were obtained by varying the speed of the take-up machine. 

---