3D Extrusion Simulation of the Single Screw Head and Optimization Design

Abstract

In the chemical industry, various screw extruders are widely used for melting, dispersing and homogenizing polymers. Compared with twin-screw extruders and tri-screw extruders, the single-screw extruder are of more prevalent use with its more durable structure, easier to be constantly maintained, lower prices and simpler operation. In particular, it is worth noting that the single screw head has a significant impact on extrusion characteristics. The problem of extrusion of polymers involves aspects of fluid dynamics and rheology, leading to the difficulty to calculate the velocity field and pressure field theoretically. In this paper, the numerical simulation method is adopted to account for 3D non-Newtonian polymer extrusion process of single screw head. Then, the screw head is optimized, thus leveling down the velocity nonuniformity at outlet in order to meet design requirements