2-D numerical simulation of differential viscoelastic fluids in a single-screw continuous mixer: Application of viscoelastic finite element methods

Viscoelastic effects on mixing flows obtained with kneading paddles in a single‐screw, continuous mixer were explored using 2‐D finite element method numerical simulations. The single‐mode Phan–Thien Tanner nonlinear, viscoelastic fluid model was used with parameters for a dough‐like material. The viscoelastic limits of the simulations were found using elastic viscous stress splitting, 4 × 4 sub‐elements for stress, streamline upwind, and streamline upwind Petrov–Galerkin (SUPG). Mesh refinement and comparison between methods was also done. The single‐screw mixer was modeled by taking the kneading paddle as the point of reference, fixing the mesh in time. Rigid rotation and no slip boundary conditions at the walls were used with inertia taken into account. Results include velocity, pressure, and stress profiles. The addition of viscoelasticity caused the shear and normal stresses to vary greatly from the viscous results, with a resulting loss of symmetry in the velocity and pressure profiles in the flow region. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 22: 22–41, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.10038