For plastic processing extruders with grooved feed sections, the design of the feed section by means of analytical calculation models can be useful to reduce experimental costs. However, these models include assumptions and simplifications that can significantly decrease the prediction accuracy of the throughput due to complex flow behavior. In this paper, the accuracy of analytical modeling for calculating the throughput in a grooved barrel extruder is verified based on a statistical design of experiments. A special focus is placed on the assumptions made in the analytics of a backpressure-independent throughput, the assumption of a block flow and the differentiation of the solids conveying into different conveying cases. Simulative throughput tests with numerical simulation software using the discrete element method, as well as experimental throughput tests, serve as a benchmark. Overall, the analytical modeling already shows a very good calculation accuracy. Nevertheless, there are some outliers that lead to larger deviations in the throughput. The model predominantly overestimates the throughputs, whereby the origin of these deviations is often in the conveying angle calculation. Therefore, a regression-based correction factor for calculating the conveying angle is developed and implemented.

The high-pressure capillary rheometer (HPCR) represents a state-of-the-art instrument for the determination of rheological properties for plastics and rubber compounds. Rubber compounds have an increased tendency to exhibit flow anomalies depending on the compound ingredients and the processing parameters. Combined with non-isothermal effects due to dissipative material heating, this causes rheological material measurements and the resulting material parameters derived from them to be affected by errors, since the fundamental analytical and numerical calculation approaches assume isothermal flow and wall adhesion. In this paper, the applicability of the empirical rheological transfer function of the Cox–Merz rule, which establishes a relationship between shear viscosity measured with a HPCR and complex viscosity measured with a closed cavity rheometer (CCR), is investigated. The Cox–Merz relation could not be verified for an unfilled EPDM raw polymer or for filled, practical rubber compounds. Using a closed cavity rheometer, a methodology based on ramp tests is then introduced to collect wall slip-free steady-state shear viscosity data under isothermal conditions. The generated data show high agreement with corrected viscosity data generated using the HPCR, while requiring less measurement effort.

The degradation of polypropylene (PP) through thermal and mechanical stress, as well as the influence of oxygen, are unavoidable when processing on a co-rotating twin-screw extruder. In previous studies, a mathematical model was developed to predict the degradation while compounding on different twin-screw extruder sizes. Additionally, the examination of filled PPs was conducted. To this end, a range of operating parameters and extruder sizes were used to process PP, and the molar mass was then determined by melt flow rate (MFR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) measurements to derive the degree of degradation. The model was then modified by adjusting the sensitivity parameters to allow the degradation behavior of the PPs to be described independently of extruder size. Consistent with prior research, comprehensive measurements of a PP/titanium dioxide (TiO₂) compound revealed that, with a few exceptions, increasing temperatures and screw speeds and decreasing throughputs generally resulted in higher degradation. However, the application of the model to the compounds did not achieve good agreement with the measured degradation, indicating different degradation conditions due to the different thermodynamic and rheological properties of the compounds.

Most single-screw extruders used in the plastics processing industry are plasticizing extruders, designed to melt solid pellets or powders within the screw channel during processing. In many cases, the efficiency of the melting process acts as the primary throughput-limiting factor. If the material melts too late in the process, it may not be sufficiently mixed, resulting in substandard product quality. Accurate prediction of the melting process is therefore essential for efficient and cost-effective machine design. A practical method for engineers is the modeling of the melting process using mathematical–physical models that can be solved without complex numerical methods. These models enable rapid calculations while still providing sufficient predictive accuracy. This study revisits the modified Tadmor model by Potente, which describes the melting process and predicts the delay-zone length, extending from the hopper front edge to the point of melt pool formation. Based on extensive experimental investigations, this model is adapted by redefining the flow temperatures at the phase boundary and accounting for surface porosity at the beginning of the melting zone. Additionally, the effect of variable solid bed dynamics on model accuracy is examined. Significant model improvements were achieved by accounting for reduced heat flow into the solid bed due to the porous surface structure in the solid conveying zone, along with a new assumption for the flow temperature at the phase boundary between the solid bed and melt film.

The viscosity of polymer melts is dependent on various factors such as shear rate, temperature, pressure and molecular structure. High-pressure capillary rheometery (HPCR) can be used to determine viscosity as a function of shear rate and temperature in the shear rate range relevant for injection molding and extrusion processing. Conventional HPCR measurements cannot determine the pressure dependence of viscosity so that it is typically neglected. Particularly at high pressures and low shear rates, the viscosity is therefore underestimated. However, it is possible to determine the pressure dependency using a counter pressure chamber or actively controlled counter pressure viscometer. Nevertheless, these devices are rarely available, and the measuring effort is high compared to conventional measurements. In order to be able to represent the pressure-dependent material behavior and thus improve the accuracy of process simulations in a cost-effective way, the aim of this paper is to use the free volume approach via the coupled equations of state according to Simha and Somcynsky1 to link the temperature and pressure dependence of the melt density to the viscosity. The model was extended according to Utracki and Sedlacek2–4 and applied to true viscosity data at constant shear stresses in the process relevant apparent shear rate range from 1 to 5000 1/s. The necessary viscosity data for the investigated PP and PC at different temperatures in the typical processing range were determined using a conventional HPCR, and a pvT measuring device was used to determine the melt density. The hole fraction as a measure for the free volume is calculated at each shear stress through the coupled equations of state and linked to the true viscosity through error square minimization at the mean pressure in the capillary. This allows for the recalculation of an isobaric viscosity curve at different pressure and temperature levels. For validation of the model viscosities were also measured at various pressure levels using a counter pressure chamber to determine an experimental pressure coefficient. The model results for the investigated materials show a high agreement with the experimentally determined pressure coefficients