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While anisotropic extrudate swell in polymer processing is fundamentally driven by physical viscoelastic recovery, this paper proposes a theoretical framework to explicitly isolate and map the purely geometric and kinematic components of this phenomenon. Serving as a mathematical proof-of-concept, a multi-velocity-centre hypothesis is proposed. By introducing a semi-empirical, lumped material-flow calibration parameter, the macroscopic diameter swell ratio is mathematically extended to the discrete local flow field of a rectangular slit die. To evaluate its validity, the analytical framework is subjected to a numerical test for kinematic consistency utilizing isothermal, inelastic power-law fluid CFD simulations, thereby separating geometric mapping from complex viscoelastic stress relaxation. Results indicate that analytical predictions show good agreement with CFD data (error < 5%) strictly within the core zone of high-aspect-ratio dies. However, due to the infinite-slit assumption, 3D flow kinematics near die edges induce velocity decay, leading to local deviations that require future empirical corrections. Although comprehensive physical extrusion experiments and non-isothermal viscoelastic coupling are required for industrial deployment, this semi-empirical kinematic mapping provides a foundational mathematical basis that could potentially inform future inverse die-profile design and shape distortion compensation.

Thermotropic liquid crystal polymers comprise rigid chain segments called mesogens. This study presents a modeling approach to simulate the orientation of these mesogens in a flow channel with a rectangular cross section under no slip and wall slip boundary conditions. Rigid rods with finite length and an initial orientation are proposed. The interactions between the velocity field in the flow channel and these rods are modeled to simulate orientation. Moreover, a highly oriented boundary layer can be simulated. Orientation occurs in the flow direction close to the die wall under the no slip condition due to the high shear rate. As the distance from the die wall increases, the orientation decreases. Wall slip effectuates a more uniform orientation and causes a delay in the development of the highly oriented boundary layer. The thickness profile of this layer exhibits a shape that is analogous to that of a root function. To ensure products with high mechanical properties, it is essential to orient the mesogens at a high level in the die during manufacturing. The presented model enables the prediction of orientation in the flow channel. Therefore, this model is a useful tool to design the process in the right way to reach this goal.

In-extruder measurements of shear viscosity and normal stresses are important as these measurement techniques allow determining the rheological state of the polymer melt at processing conditions up to high shear rates. However, validation of viscosity and normal stress data obtained by in-line slit rheometers at high shear rates is difficult due to a lack of overlap of the in-line data and the off-line measurements by rotational rheometers limited to lower shear rates. Here, shear viscosity and normal stress data measured in-line at large shear rates during extrusion and off-line at low shear rates are compared to predictions of the Doi-Edwards model and the Hierarchical Multi-Mode Molecular Stress Function (HMMSF) model using linear-viscoelastic off-line small amplitude oscillating shear data of two polystyrenes and a low-density polyethylene as input parameters. For polystyrene, the results of this investigation do not only validate the experimental data obtained by rotational as well as slit-die rheometry, but also demonstrate the agreement between experiments and models up to very high shear rates, which were not experimentally accessible earlier. The low-density polyethylene shows a more complex behaviour, which follows the HMMSF model at low shear rates, but approaches the Doi-Edwards model at high shear rates.

In the food industry, extrusion cooking finds numerous applications thanks to its high productivity and nutrient retention. More specifically, cereal extrusion, e.g., for savory snacks and breakfast products has an important market share. For such applications, rheology, which addresses viscous and elastic contributions, plays an important role in developing, optimizing, and controlling the extrusion manufacturing technique. In this context, conventional off-line rheometers are not ideal for providing data, as the goal is to replicate the exact thermomechanical history to which the food is subjected in the extrusion process. Hence, to achieve reliable analyses, in-line viscometers that have mostly been tested using oil-based polymers were introduced. Biopolymers (e.g., starch), however, are highly sensitive to both heat and mechanical degradation, and the viscometer design has to be adapted accordingly to produce an accurate measurement. Alongside a discussion of the different designs available, this review will address the most common methodologies for measuring the steady shear viscosity, extensional viscosity, and the first normal stress difference for food applications, providing researchers in the biopolymer and food engineering fields with a general introduction to this emerging topic.

Wall slip in the flow of powder injection molding (PIM) compounds can be the cause of unrealistically low viscosity values, and can lead to a failure of flow simulation approaches. Regardless of its importance, it has been considered only scarcely in the rheological models applied to PIM materials. In this paper, an online extrusion rheometer equipped with rectangular slit dies was used to evaluate the slip velocity of commercial as well as in-house-prepared PIM feedstocks based on metallic and ceramic powders at close-to-processing conditions. The tested slit dies varied in their dimensions and surface roughness. The wall-slip effect was quantified using the Mooney analysis of slip velocities. The smaller gap height (1 mm) supported the wall-slip effect. It was shown that both the binder composition and the powder characteristic affect slip velocity. Slip velocity can be reduced by tailoring a powder particle size distribution towards smaller particle fractions. The thickness of the polymer layer formed at the channel wall is higher for water-soluble feedstocks, while in the case of the catalytic polyacetal feedstocks the effect of surface roughness was manifested through lower viscosity at smooth surfaces.

The influence of the rheological behaviour of PP based wood plastic composites (WPC) has been investigated in this research by means of a high pressure capillary rheometer incorporating dies having different geometries. The rheological experiments were performed using slit and round dies. The influence of moisture content on the flow properties of the WPC has been investigated as well. It was observed that higher moisture contents lead to wall slippage effect. Furthermore, measured viscosity data have been used in flow simulation of an extrusion profile die. Also, the influence of different rheological models on the simulation results is demonstrated. This research work presents a theoretical and experimental study on the measurement and prediction of the die pressure in the extrusion process of wood-plastic composite (WPC).

We investigated an explanation for the length dependence of apparent wall slip in capillary and slit die experiments that had been implied in earlier studies. Firstly, we used a very long slit die fitted with six equidistant pressure transducers and an adjustable outlet. It was found that, all other parameters being equal, the impact of pressure on the flow behavior of suspensions was not different from the impact on the unfilled matrix fluid. Particle-related properties, such as apparent wall slip, were therefore not influenced by pressure as assumed by other authors. Secondly, we determined wall slip velocities by both the Mooney method and numerical simulation, based on an implementation of Phillips constitutive equation for particle migration. This led to a similar length dependence of wall slip as had been reported in an earlier work. We concluded that this was due to the transient nature of particle migration and its interrelationship with apparent wall slip, rather than an influence of pressure.

In this paper, the rheological properties of an extrudable cement-based paste are investigated by means of an original ram extrusion apparatus (capillary rheometer). The experimental results indicate that a careful measurement of the die pressure is necessary to obtain a realistic viscosity vs shear rate curve, as required in extrusion technology. In particular, it is shown that the optimal test configuration is when the pressure measurement is made directly inside the rheometer die. By applying this rheological methodology in steady-state conditions, it has been observed that the extrudable cement-based material here evaluated obeys to a simple power–law equation, in the range of shear rates investigated, which are suitable for an industrial extrusion process.

Das Ziel einer modernen Asthma-Therapie ist das Erreichen einer Remission. Im Armamentarium der personalisierten Asthma-Präzisionsmedizin stellt die Allergen-Immuntherapie (AIT) einen wesentlichen Bestandteil dar. Dabei bietet die subkutane AIT (SCIT) oder sublinguale AIT (SLIT) sowohl die Möglichkeit einer Primärprävention (Reduktion des Risikos, ein Asthma zu entwickeln) als auch die Möglichkeit, ein manifestes allergisches Asthma positiv zu beeinflussen (bis hin zum Erreichen einer Asthma-Remission). Entsprechend sollte eine AIT bei Patienten mit allergischem Asthma und einem nachweisbaren und klinisch relevantem Aller­gen immer erwogen und frühzeitig eingesetzt werden: Voraussetzung ist jedoch die genaue Phänotypisierung der Patienten.Erstpublikation in Allergologie select, mit freundlicher Genehmigung der Autoren

A micro slit die easily manufactured using a micro electrical discharge machining (MEDM) is proposed for micro heat sink fabrication. In the investigations described in this paper, processed concave and rectangular shaped copper foils were combined piece by piece to form an assembled electrode. This electrode was used to fabricate a micro slit die. This die included 15 micro fins in a small tungsten carbide plate. The micro heat sink was made by applying a pressing or scraping method when the micro slit die was used. The experiments showed that debris, produced by the MEDM, might cause a discharge concentration effect because of the narrow gaps between the workpiece and electrode. Parts of the micro fin were seriously melted during this process. Flushing dielectric could effectively remove the debris from the narrow gap, generating an appropriate discharge dispersing effect. However, the discharge effect was unstable when large flushing pressure was applied, thus reducing the machining precision. The micro fins were formed into a rectangular shape using kerosene as the MEDM dielectric. Using distilled water as the MEDM dielectric produced a higher material removal rate and serious assembled electrode wear. Therefore, the micro fins formed as triangle profiles. The micro heat sink was higher even when the pressing method was used. The heat sink deviated and was full of burrs on the fin edge when the scraping method was used.