Mechanical Design Aspects of Single Screw Extruders using Finite Element Analysis

Abstract

This paper presents a method to investigate the characteristics of single screw extruders and evaluate the performance of various types of screw under different working conditions using finite element analysis. Finite element analysis is used to master a technique to evaluate the radial displacement of the used screw, while analytical solution is used to clearly describe the polymer behavior affecting the proposed screw. This performance is of great importance to determine the chance of the screw lock up in the barrel. A finite element model of two types of screw extruder is presented, taking into account bearing support contact, pressure and temperature profiles generated along the screw. The results show that the minimum displacement occurred at the metering zone, while the maximum displacement occurred at the feed zone moving to the compression zone for traditional screw.