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Extruder Lab Report

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Ibrahim Shahid
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75 views4 pages

Extruder Lab Report

Uploaded by

Ibrahim Shahid
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Polymers and composites

Lab on Extruder
Submitted to:
Dr. Mohsin Ali Raza
Submitted by:
Muhammad Nabeel 16MME-S1-303
Department of metallurgy and materials engineering
University of the Punjab
Task:
“To learn the working of extruder and to determine the melt index of a given polymer”

Objective
Developing understanding of extrusion process and determining the melt index of the polymer.
Principle
Mass of polymer passed through the capillary of specific diameter of extruder in 5 minutes gives
melt index.
Apparatus required
 Extruder
Materials required
 HDPE pellets
Experimental procedure
Heater of the extruder were set at 230°C and allowed to reach the temperature. Pellets of HDPE
were introduced from the hopper in the extruder. Pellets becomes pliable and takes the shape of
the capillary tube and were collected in the dish. The extruder was allowed to run for 5 minutes
and weight of the polymer passed in 5 minutes is calculated and melt index is found by using the
formula as given below.
After this experiment two different colors pellets were mixed and passed through the extruder
and their mixing is observed in the product as shown below in the fig. 1

Observations and calculations


Temperature of heater= 230°C
Weight of polymer= 197.6 g
Time = 5min
mass of polymer 197.6
Melt index= = = 39.53 g/min
time 5
Figure 1.Green and white pellets
Result
As 197.6 g of polymer is passed through the extruder in 5 minutes. Hence the melt index of
HDPE at 230°C is 39.53 g/min
Discussion
 High melt index indicates a low molecular weight and vice versa.
 Ease of melting of polymer can also be determined
 High melt index numbers (ease of melting, lower energy input and easy processing)
Standard calculation of melt index is observed after 10 minutes flowing of polymer through the
extruder under prescribed pressure and temperature. Here we have determined the melt index at
230°C. by changing the temperature melt index also changed.

Figure 2. Labelled diagram of extruder


Following are some defects occurred in the extrusion product.
1. Non-uniformity in diameter
2. Fish like skin
3. brittleness
Remedies of the above defects
When the extrudate is cooled in air then it shrinks and when we bend it on the dish it expands
from that points and this causes non-uniformity it can be solved by proper cooling of the
extrudate.
Fish like skin is due to rough treating with extrudate when it comes out of extruder we have
placed it randomly above on one another. Proper placing should be done to prevent the
roughness of skin.

Figure 3. Fish like skin

Figure 4. Working of extruder

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