- Author
- Butler, K. M. | Onate, E. | Idelsohn, S. R. | Rossi, R.
- Title
- Modeling Polymer Melt Flow Using the Particle Finite Element Method.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD International Center for Numerical Methods in Engineering, Spain
- Report
- Volume 2
- Book or Conf
- Interflam 2007. (Interflam '07). International Interflam Conference, 11th Proceedings. Volume 2. September 3-5, 2007, London, England, 929-940 p., 2007
- Keywords
- particles | melt flow | thermoplastics | flow field | equations | gasification | heat sources | finite element method | experiments | mass loss | flame spread | viscosity
- Identifiers
- Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM); flow from heated sample; flow onto catch surface; three-dimensional flow from heated sample; track the changes in shape of a thermoplastic solid subjected to a heat source
- Abstract
- A new particle-based approach is applied to the modeling of the melt flow behavior of thermoplastics. The Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM) combines convection of particles by the flow field with a finite element solution of the equations of motion and energy, in a fully Lagrangian formulation that tracks large changes in shape and topology. The potential of this method to model thermoplastic melt flow is tested with a series of computational problems based on flow from an upright rectangular sample heated on one face. The quasi-steady flow rate under three levels of heat flux is about 25 % higher than experimental results, in line with previous modeling results. The addition of gasification to the PFEM model provides good agreement with a 1D analytical model when the gasification layer is well-resolved. A model that includes dripping of the sample onto a catch surface below conserves mass within ± 5 %.