A fundamental rule: determining the importance of flow prior to polymer crystallization

McIlroy, Claire (2019) A fundamental rule: determining the importance of flow prior to polymer crystallization. Physics of Fluids, 31 . p. 113103. ISSN 1070-6631

Full content URL: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5129119

Documents
A fundamental rule: determining the importance of flow prior to polymer crystallization
Accepted Manuscript
[img]
[Download]
[img] PDF
__network.uni_staff_S1_cmcilroy_PoFspecialissue_submitted_Review_review-final.pdf - Whole Document

1MB
Item Type:Article
Item Status:Live Archive

Abstract

A continuum-level model for non-isothermal polymer crystallization following a complex flow is presented, along with a fundamental rule that may be employed to determine if the flow will influence the ensuing crystallization dynamics. This rule is based on two dimensionless parameters: the (Rouse) Weissenberg number, and an inverse Deborah number de�ned by the ratio between the time taken to cool to the melting point versus the stretch relaxation time, which determines the time available for flow-enhanced crystallization. Moreover, we show how the time to reach the melting point can be derived semi-analytically and expressed in terms of the processing conditions in the case of pipe
flow - ubiquitous in polymer processing. Whilst the full numerical model is required to quantitatively predict induction times and spherulite-size distributions, the proposed fundamental rule may be used practically to ensure, or
eliminate, flow-enhanced structures by controlling the processing conditions or material properties. We discuss how
ow-enhanced structures may be revealed only after post-processing annealing, and finally examine previous works that have successfully applied the model to extrusion-based three-dimensional (3D) printing.

Keywords:flow-enhanced crystallization, polymer processing, non-isothermal
Subjects:G Mathematical and Computer Sciences > G150 Mathematical Modelling
G Mathematical and Computer Sciences > G120 Applied Mathematics
G Mathematical and Computer Sciences > G160 Engineering/Industrial Mathematics
H Engineering > H141 Fluid Mechanics
H Engineering > H990 Engineering not elsewhere classified
F Physical Sciences > F200 Materials Science
Divisions:College of Science > School of Mathematics and Physics
ID Code:38711
Deposited On:06 Nov 2019 10:48

Repository Staff Only: item control page