Simulation of Co-Rotating Twin Screw Extrusion Process Subject to Pressure-Dependent Wall Slip at Barrel and Screw Surfaces: 3D FEM Analysis for Combinations of Forward- and Reverse-Conveying Screw Elements

Abstract

Abstract Mathematical modeling and simulation of the coupled flow, deformation, heat and mass transfer, and rate of reactions occurring in the twin screw extruder allow the optimization of process parameters and the screw and barrel geometries. In mathematical modeling of the twin screw extrusion process the conventional flow boundary condition at the screw and barrel walls is the no-slip condition. However, most complex fluids, including polymers, polymeric suspensions and blends, exhibit wall slip, with the slip behavior depending on the intrinsic properties of the materials being processed, the operating conditions, the geometries of the barrel, screw and the die, and the properties of the solid surfaces. Typically, the slip velocity is specified to be a function of temperature, stress condition at the wall and the materials of construction. However, recent investigations have further revealed that the wall slip behavior can also be significantly affected by pressure. With an objective of considering the effects of wall slip on the dynamics of twin screw extrusion, fully-intermeshing co-rotating twin screw extrusion of a concentrated suspension is analyzed using three-dimensional finite element method, FEM, subject to the wall slip boundary condition. The wall slip boundary condition is first applied systematically to barrel and screw surfaces individually followed by the application of wall slip to both surfaces simultaneously. In an integrated fashion both the forward-conveying (pressure-generating) and reverse-conveying (pressure-losing) screw sections are considered. The effects of pressure on wall slip are also analyzed and elucidated.