Polymer Engineering and Science, Vol.37, No.6, 994-1002, 1997
Modeling Droplet Deformation in Melt-Spinning of Polymer Blends
We report the results of a study of droplet deformation in uniaxial elongational flow under nonisothermal conditions. A mathematical model is developed that simulates deformation conditions in fiber spinning. To test our model, a blend of polypropylene and polystyrene was spun into fibers. The blend morphology of the fibers is accurately predicted by the proposed model. Morphological studies have shown that immiscible additives remain dispersed in the matrix as suspended droplets and that the droplets are elongated into fibrils under the action of shear or extensional forces during processing.