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Polymer Engineering and Science, Vol.34, No.13, 1090-1100, 1994
Computer-Aided Geometric Design of the Preform Dies for Flat Film Extrusion Through 3-D Finite-Element Flow-Analysis
A rational computer-aided design procedure is presented for determining the optimum flow channel geometry of a flat film die, which yields a minimum pressure drop and produces a uniform transverse flow rate distribution. The three-dimensional die surface is generated by analytic expressions that represent a dumbbell-like contour. The die surface may be specified by several geometric parameters. The length of the transition zone turns out to be the controlling parameter. Because of the complicated geometric boundary, it is not possible to optimize the flow channel geometry explicitly; instead, a computer trial procedure is employed. The numerical computation is based on an isothermal three-dimensional flow model, which assumes power law behavior for the polymer melts. The calculated results indicate that for a particular polymer and a particular aspect ratio of slit, there may exist an optimum transition length from which the flow channel geometry of a flat film die may be uniquely defined.
Keywords:COAT-HANGER DIE;POLYMER