DMI-9813020 Tucker This research examines mixing of inhomogeneous liquid-liquid systems, such as polymer blends. Mixing determines the fine-scale morphology of these materials, and their solid-state properties. This project is developing analytical and numerical tools to analyze laminar mixing of inhomogeneous fluids, and testing these against experiments on well-characterized fluids. The microstructure at any point in the fluid is represented by the area tensor, which provides information about the size, shape, and orientation of the microstructure. The area tensor changes over time in response to the local deformation and rotation of the fluid, following a theory is incorporated into a finite element code, which solves simultaneously for pressure, velocity, and the components of the area tensor. Using this approach, engineers will be able to analyze the mixing performance of twin screw extruders and similar devices, which generate complex flow fields. This capability will improve the design and operation of polymer mixing equipment, enable reliable scale-up of the laboratory processes, and improve the quality and consistency of polymer blends and related products.
