Mathematical model of strain of droplets of a dispersed-phase polymer in flow of molten polymer blends

A mathematical model of strain of a dispersed-phase-polymer droplet in flow of a molten polymer blend from a wide reservoir to a narrow one has been created with the use of the structural-continuum approach. The system of differential equations obtained has numerically been solved by the Runge-Kutta method. The model satisfactorily describes the actual processes of flow of molten polymer blends in the entrance zone of a molding orifice: the values of the droplet strains are a function of the relation of the viscosities of the starting components and their absolute values, the volume concentration of the dispersed phase, the interphase tension, and the elasticity of the droplet. The adequacy of the model created has been confirmed by comparison of the droplet strains calculated using the equations obtained and the theoretical conclusions and experimental results.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]