Research of double-layer polymer pipes coextrusion process

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20535/2521-1943.2025.9.1(104).313378

Keywords:

co-extrusion, polymer pipes, rheology, layer thickness, diffusion

Abstract

The extrusion of two-layer polymer pipes is widely used to combine the advantages of different materials in one product. However, controlling the thickness of each layer is a challenging task. In this work, a numerical study of the extrusion process of two-layer polymer pipes made of polypropylene (PP) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) was carried out using the ANSYS Polyflow software package. The aim of the study was to develop a methodology for determining the required volumetric flow rates of PP and PVC melts to obtain a given inner layer thickness. For this purpose, a two-dimensional finite element model of the extrusion head was developed, taking into account the non-Newtonian behavior of the melts described by the Carreau-Yasuda model. Stationary and non-stationary modeling of the melt flow was performed. In contrast to traditional methods based on simplified analytical solutions, this work uses the method of constructing a response surface, which allows taking into account the complex interaction between process parameters and rheological properties of materials, as well as the influence of mutual diffusion. The simulation results showed that the thickness of the inner layer of PP can be accurately adjusted by varying the volume flow rates of PP and PVC. When the volume flow rates of PP and PVC were changed from 2.484 × 10–6 to 3.036 × 10–6 m3/s, the thickness of the inner layer varied in the range from 2.24 × 10–3 to 2.54 × 10–3 m. In addition, at a volume flow rate of the outer PVC layer equal to 3.036 × 10–6 m3/s, a straightforward dependence of the thickness of the inner PP layer on the volume flow rate of PP with a linear approximation coefficient of 0.9992 was observed. The obtained response surface allows us to effectively determine the required volume flow rate to achieve the required thickness of the inner layer of PP and can be used to setting appropriate parameters the extrusion process of two-layer polymer pipes.

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Published

2025-03-18

How to Cite

[1]
R. Hurin, A. Gondliakh, and O. Sokolskyi, “Research of double-layer polymer pipes coextrusion process”, Mech. Adv. Technol., vol. 9, no. 1(104), pp. 64–72, Mar. 2025.

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 1(104) (2025)

Section

Mechanics

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Copyright (c) 2025 Олександр Леонідович Сокольський

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