Slip and frictional heating of extruded polyethylene melts

Extrusion of polymer melts with slip at the die generates frictional heating. The relationship between slip flow and frictional heating during the continuous extrusion of a non-slipping linear low-density (LLDPE) and a slipping high-density polyethylene (HDPE), respectively, both pure as well as blended with a fluoropolymer processing aid (PA), was investigated in this work by Rheo-particle image velocimetry and thermal imaging. Significant rises in temperature were measured under slip and no slip conditions, being these much higher than the values predicted by the adiabatic flow assumption. Clear difference was made between viscous and frictional heating before the stick-slip regime for the LLDPE, even though they could not be distinguished from one another at higher stresses. Such a difference, however, could not be made for the slipping HDPE, since overall in the presence of slip, frictional and viscous heating act synergistically to increase the melt temperature.