Flow Fields of Polymer Melt Flowing through Wedge Converging Channel

Simple formulae are proposed for the velocity and extensional strain rate profiles for a power-law fluid in a converging wedge channel. Trajectory images are obtained of a colored strand in the high density polyethylene melt flowing through a tapered slit die. The theoretically predicted trajectories are in reasonable agreement with the experimental results. The varying trends of the extensional strain rate with the radial and angular positions in the converging channel are then theoretically revealed.