Elongational rheology of polymer melts and solutions

Elongational rheological properties of polymer melts and solutions may be measured using nonlubricated flow characteristics through a semihyperbolic converging die. The effects of body forces related to developing orientation in the fluid during converging extensional flow are so strong that the shearing contribution become negligible in comparison, eliminating the need for lubrication to achieve an essentially pure elongational flow. The effective elongational viscosities of polypropylene melts and lyocell solutions correlated with shear-flow determinations were used to estimate the enthalpy and entropy changes as function of processing conditions. The flow of lyocell solutions through a converging die had, as a result, not only phase separation and cellulose crystallization, but also microfibers formation and high orientation. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.