Numerical analysis of a new mound-shaped extensional mixing element designed based on a sine curve in single-screw extrusion

Abstract The rapid development of polymer blends and nanocomposites has put forward new requirements for the mixing performance of extruders. In comparison with shear flow field, extensional flow field has been shown to have unique advantages in improving dispersive mixing performance and reducing energy consumption. However, building an extensional flow field in a conventional single-screw extruder remains challenging. In this work, a new mound-shaped extensional mixing element (M-EME) was designed based on the geometric characteristics of a sine curve. To investigate the effect of this M-EME on the mixing properties of a conventional single-screw extruder, a numerical simulation analysis of this M-EME was performed. The results showed that the proportion of the region with a mixing index greater than 0.55 in the M-EME was higher than 43 %, and that the highest mixing index of the M-EME reached around 0.9, confirming the dominance of the extensional flow field in the M-EME. Moreover, it was observed that the changes in amplitude and period of the sine function have no significant effect on the distribution of the mixing index. The findings from this work provide a viable way to generate extensional flow fields in conventional screw extruders.