On Pressure Affected Shear Viscosity of Poly(Lactic) Acid

Evaluation of pressure coefficient of polymer melt viscosity has become important parameter taken into account for flow behavior prediction in polymer processing simulation software. In this paper, the pressure coefficient of biodegradable polymers, poly(lactic) acid (PLA), was investigated. A capillary rheometer equipped with back pressure device controlling pressure in polymer melt during flow was employed for experiments. Pressure sensitivity was evaluated through pressure coefficient calculated via fitting of obtained viscosity data by the help of Carreau-Yasuda model. It was found that pressure coefficient of PLAs is strongly affected by the internal structure of tested polymer.