Rheometry of polymer melts using processing machines

The technology of slit-die rheometry came into practice in the early 1960s. This technique enables engineers to measure the pressure drop very precisely along the slit die. Furthermore, slit-die rheometry widens up the measurable shear rate range and it is possible to characterize rheological properties of complicated materials such as wall slipping PVCs and high-filled compounds like long fiber reinforced thermoplastics and PIM-Feedstocks. With the use of slit-die systems in polymer processing machines e.g., Rauwendaal extrusion rheometer, by-pass extrusion rheometer, injection molding machine rheometers, new possibilities regarding rheological characterization of thermoplastics and elastomers at processing conditions near to practice opened up. Special slit-die systems allow the examination of the pressure-dependent viscosity and the characterization of cross-linking elastomers because of melt preparation and reachable shear rates comparable to typical processing conditions. As a result of the viscous dissipation in shear and elongational flows, when performing rheological measurements for high-viscous elastomers, temperature-correction of the apparent values has to be made. This technique was refined over the last years at Montanuniversitaet. Nowadays it is possible to characterize all sorts of rheological complicated polymeric materials under process-relevant conditions with viscosity values fully temperature corrected.