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Temperature gradients in the channels of a single‐screw extruder
Author(s) -
Bur Anthony J.,
Roth Steven C.,
Spalding Mark A.,
Baugh Daniel W.,
Koppi Kurt A.,
Buzanowski Walter C.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.20221
Subject(s) - materials science , polycarbonate , plastics extrusion , perylene , fluorescence , extrusion , temperature measurement , barrel (horology) , composite material , calibration , polymer , analytical chemistry (journal) , optics , chromatography , chemistry , thermodynamics , statistics , physics , mathematics
Abstract We used a temperature‐sensitive fluorescent dye, perylene, to monitor the true resin temperature during extrusion of polycarbonate. The measurement involved doping polycarbonate with perylene and detecting fluorescence with an optical sensor that accesses a standard instrumentation port on a barrel of a single‐screw extruder. The sensor's confocal optics design permits fluorescence intensity measurements as a function of position. Using a previously established calibration function, temperature and temperature gradients were obtained from the measured fluorescence. Because the origin of the measurement is the fluorescent dye molecule that is soluble in the resin, this method allows temperature measurement of the polymer without interference from the surrounding metal parts. With the sensor looking over the screw, temperature profiles from the barrel wall to the core of the screw were obtained as a function of screw speed, screw design and resin melt flow rate. Polym. Eng. Sci. 44:2148–2157, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers. This paper is a contribution from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and, thus, is not subject to copyright in the United States.