POLYMER MELT RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTY MEASUREMENT IN A NOVEL COMPOSITE-GEOMETRY FLOW RHEOMETER.

A novel rheometer is described, in which extensional viscosity and elastic shear compliance are determined simultaneously from pressure measurements taken on steady state polymer melt flows through an open-ended die with successive, similarly shaped, converging and diverging zones. Equations incorporating practically realistic simplifying approximations are developed for the calculation of extensional viscosity and shear compliance from the measured pressure data. The construction of a prototype rheometer is described, and results from its operation are presented. Agreement between these results and published melt elasticity data for a low-density polyethylene material gives evidence to confirm the basic rheometric principle and flow analysis. The implications of pressure measurement errors are discussed.