Calculation of the contact angle of polymer melts on tool surfaces from viscosity parameters

Gernot Zitzenbacher, Hannes Dirnberger, Manuel Längauer, Clemens Holzer

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

28 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

It is of great importance for polymer processing whether and how viscosity influences the wettability of tool surfaces. We demonstrate the existence of a distinct relationship between the contact angle of molten polymers and zero shear viscosity in this paper. The contact angle of molten polypropylene and polymethylmethacrylate on polished steel was studied in a high temperature chamber using the sessile drop method. A high pressure capillary rheometer with a slit die was employed to determine the shear viscosity curves in a low shear rate range. A linear relation between the contact angle and zero shear viscosity was obtained. Furthermore, the contact angle and the zero shear viscosity values of the different polymers were combined to one function. It is revealed that, for the wetting of tool surfaces by molten polymers, a lower viscosity is advantageous. Furthermore, a model based on the temperature shift concept is proposed which allows the calculation of the contact angle of molten polymers on steel for different temperatures directly from shear viscosity data.

Original languageEnglish
Article number38
Number of pages12
JournalPolymers
Volume10
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2018

Keywords

  • Contact angle
  • Extrusion
  • Injection molding
  • Polymethylmethacrylate
  • Polypropylene
  • Tool surface
  • Viscosity
  • Wetting

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Calculation of the contact angle of polymer melts on tool surfaces from viscosity parameters'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this