Single screw melt extrusion mixing

The fundamental processes and mechanisms that control single-screw extrusion are presented in Chapters 5 through 8. These processes include solids conveying, melting, polymer fluid flow, and mixing. The analyses presented in these chapters focus on easily utilized functions needed to assess the operation of the single-screw extruder. The derivation of these relationships will be presented in detail in the appendices for those who desire to explore the theory of extrusion in more detail. 

Polystyrene foam sheet can be made by a variety of extrusion processes (single screw, twin screw) but is most commonly made using a tandem extrusion process as shown in Figure 11.6. This process uses two extruders in series, which effectively optimize the melting, mixing, and cooling unit operations. The diameters of the extruders currently used in this process are usually 115 mm for the primary extruder and 150 mm for the secondary extruder, with an output capability of 400 kg/h. 

The dried components were melt mixed in a single-screw laboratory extruder. The extruded strands were regranulated and the extrusion cycle was repeated up to five times. After every cycle, samples were taken for the investigations. By the repeated extrusion, different degrees of dispersion were realized. 

In a single-screw extruder, a screw is rotated inside a cylindrical barrel. The feed may be in the form of a pre-blend or dry blend, pellets or in the form of viscous melt in melt extrusion. The extruder acts as a pumping and mixing device. The extruder performs the additional functions of conveying and melting and also performs compounding and devolatilisation functions. 

In the extrusion process, a polymer melt is pumped through a shaping die and formed into a profile which can be, for example, a plate, a film, or a tube (Osswald and Herndndez-Ortiz, 2006). For this purpose, ram and screw extruders are used. The ram extruder uses a positive displacement pump based on pressure. In this process, the volume is reduced, the fluid is moved from one point to another and the pressure rises. A screw extruder is a viscosity pump based on the pressure gradient and fluid deformation. Currently, single-screw extruders are the most common equipment used in the polymer industries. Twin-screw extruders are widely used as mixing and compounding devices. 

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