Rheology of fiber filled polymer melts: Role of fiber-fiber interactions and polymer-fiber coupling

Abstract

An experimental study and a numerical modeling analysis are carried out to examine the effects of fiber-fiber interactions and coupling between fiber orientation and polymer chains conformation on the rheological properties of fiber suspensions. The experimental study allowed examination of large fiber volume fractions up to 35% over a range of shear rates that spans eight decades. This study confirmed already known results and led to new ones. In particular, a peak in the steady shear viscosity at the low shear rate region is observed at large volume fractions. Furthermore, new results regarding the applicability of the Cox-Merz rule, the behavior of the damping factor, and the end pressure drops are reported, and physical interpretations are proposed. The results of the numerical modeling showed that it is necessary to account for the polymer-fiber coupling factor to obtain a good fit between the model predictions and the experimental measurements. Comparisons between the model predictions and the experimental measurements allowed study of the variation of the parameters that govern the fiber-fiber interactions and the polymer-fiber coupling with the properties of the suspension and the flow. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 45:385–399, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers