Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Viscosity
KEY POINTS:
After reviewing the Viscosity presentation, students
should:
• Understand why viscosity is an important property of plastic
materials
• Be able to explain several primary factors that affect a material’s
viscosity
• Be able to explain the difference between a Newtonian and a non-
Newtonian fluid.
Viscosity Plastics 001
Overview
Viscosity is resistance to flow.
Many people have a hard time understanding this concept.
A high viscosity material is very thick and has trouble flowing – like
honey
Viscosity
One of the primary advantages to using thermoplastic materials to
produce items is the ability to produce a large number of
components in a short period of time.
The catch to this is that you need to produce consistent components
that meet the customer’s specifications.
It does not do us any good to make a large number of bad or scrap parts
in a short period of time.
Viscosity
The key to producing good parts is to maintain consistency in all aspects
of the production process.
There are four key aspects where it is important to maintain
consistency:
1. Tooling
2. Equipment (Machinery)
3. Process
4. Material
There is variation in every area, but one is the largest source of variation
in plastic processing.
Viscosity Plastics 001
Viscosity
Of the four aspects, the one that is the most subject to variability is the
material. By the nature of how it is produced, there is always
variation in the molecular weight averages of different lots of
material. Variation is the nemesis of consistency.
Viscosity Plastics 001
Viscosity
The characteristics of how the material flows is a very good indication of
the molecular weight as well as other factors like:
• Consistency of additives
• Filler amounts
• Degree of branching
For this reason, Rheology or the study of flow is very important
to maintaining consistency in plastic materials.
Viscosity
There are two main things that will affect the viscosity of a plastic
material.
As you increase the temperature, the polymer chains are further apart
and can slide past one another more easily. It flows more easily
As you increase the shear rate, the polymer chains orient in the
direction of flow more and can more easily flow past each other.
Viscosity Plastics 001
Viscosity
Because of their high aspect ratio (high length compared to diameter),
plastic materials do not behave the same way as most liquids when in
a molten state.
The entanglement of the polymer chains causes them to have very high
viscosities – they don’t flow easily.
Understanding how temperature affects viscosity should not be difficult.
As you heat things, they expand. The further apart the molecules get,
the easier it is for them to flow past one another.
Shear Rate
In order to explain shear rate, first there are a few items that need to be
discussed:
– Reynolds Number
– Turbulent and Laminar Flow
– Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids
– Fountain Flow
Viscosity Plastics 001
Reynolds Number
When discussing fluid flow, there are two distinct types of flow:
Turbulent and Laminar (there is also transitional flow which occurs
between the two distinct types)
Turbulent flow is very random and there is a lot of mixing that takes
place within the molecules.
Reynolds Number
The Reynolds Number (Re) of a fluid moving through a round channel is
equal to;
Laminar Flow
While Turbulent flow is very chaotic an there is a lot of mixing that takes
place, Laminar flow is much smoother and there is a difference in
velocity across the flow channel.
The molecules at the channel wall are flowing more slowly than the
molecules in the middle due to frictional drag.
Frictional Drag
Frictional Drag
Viscosity Plastics 001
Laminar Flow
Laminar flow is sometimes envisioned as a series of plates or layers that
flow across each other.
Fountain Flow
When plastic molecules flow into a cold mold in order to make a
component, they exhibit fountain flow due to their high viscosities
and high aspect ratios.
The molecules in the middle of the flow channel remain in a relatively
amorphous arrangement with a low level of orientation. The
molecules at the
mold wall freeze
in place almost
instantly. The
molecules just
inside of the
frozen layer see
the highest shear rates.
Viscosity Plastics 001
Fountain Flow
The molecules just inside of the frozen layer also exhibit the highest
degree of orientation due to the higher shear rate.
Theoretically if we push the material fast enough, all of the molecules
will align and the material will start to behave like a Newtonian fluid.
Viscosity Plastics 001
Fountain Flow
This phenomena of fountain flow allows for operations like in-mold
decoration, where a decal is placed into a mold and the plastic is
injected over it. The plastic does not race across the mold face, it lays
down similar to if paint rollers were traveling across it.
Viscosity Plastics 001
Volcano ‘A’
The higher viscosity lava will not flow away
as quickly and will cool into a taller peak.