Screw Design Basics

John Christiano
Director Extrusion Process
Technology
 Presentation Overview
Single Screw Extrusion
Nomenclature
Primary Functions of a Single Screw Extruder
• Solids Conveying
• Smooth and Groove Feed
• Melting
• Barrier Screw Design
• Mixing
• Distributive and Dispersive
Technical Center Support
Empirical Design Methodology
Testing and Optimization Techniques
 Introduction to Plasticating
Extrusion
Plastication - the art of melting plastic
material for subsequent forming operations

Adapter
Heater
Barrel

Die
Screw

Molten Plastic Breaker Plate

 The Extruder
Hopper
Breaker Plate
Pressure Barrel Motor Gear
Transducer Heater Reducer
Hoods

Swing
Clamp

D-S

Feed
Base Belt
Spacer
Guard
 Feed Screw
The Heart of the Extruder
Origins:
• Irrigation screw designed by
Archimedes to auger water up a
plateau
• Today, screws are far more
sophisticated
 Screw Terminology
Channel
Lead
Depth

Helix
Screw Flight
Angle
O.D. Clearance

Flight
Barrel
Width

Bimetallic Liner
 Screw Terminology

Shank Barrier (or Melting) Zone Mixing Zone

Feed Zone Metering Zone

Flight Length
Overall Length
 Important Ratio Terms

L/D = Length/Diameter
CR = Compression Ratio
• CR = Feed Channel Depth No meaning
Meter Channel Depth with Barrier
Screws
PR = Pumping Ratio
• PR = Stage 2 Metering Depth For screws with
vented stages
Stage 1 Metering Depth
 Primary Functions of a
Single Screw Extruder
A Closer Look Into the Extrusion Process

Optimized screw design must accomplish

• Solids Conveying
• Melting
• Pumping
Feeding Melting Pumping / Mixing
• Mixing
• Chemical Rx

Each component is critical to the extrusion process

 Solid Conveying
Smooth Bore Extruder
Groove Intensively Cooled Extruder
 Solids Conveying Theory
Smooth Bore Darnell and Mol

F2 F5 F4
F3 F8

F7
F6
F1

F1 - Forward dragging force exerted by barrel

F2, F6 - Force due to down channel pressure gradient
F3, F4, F5 - Frictional retarding forces
F7, F8 - Normal forces by flights

H fS D Ws fS Ds
M =2 sin θb( Ks + cot θ ) + sin θb( Ks + cot θs )
Wb fb Db Wb fb Db

cot θ ) ln P1
W H 1 D
+ sinθ ( Ks +
Wb Zb fb Db P2
2.5”, 24L/D Extruder
50RPM, 2500psi, 350/425/375/375F
1MI LLDPE
Solids Conveying for a Smooth Bore
Extruder
Motion of solids
Onset of Melt: dependent on friction
End of Feeding • Friction force of solids
Sintering on barrel must be greater
than friction force of
solids on screw
Solids conveyed from
feed opening and
compact into a solids
bed
Density of solids
increases
Intensively Cooled Groove Feed
Extruder
• Typically 4 L/D feed section including
hardened grooved liner and cooling jacket.

Grooved Feed Section

Heaters and Barrel

Gear Reducer
 Grooved Feed Housing
Single-piece feed section

High Flow Cooling Channel

One-piece Grooved
Liner Insert
Feed Section
• Intensively water-cooling over grooves (highly turbulent flow)
• Air cooling for lower intensity processes
 Operating Principle of a Groove
Feed Extruder Remove heat
Frictional forces quickly or solids
between barrel and soften and slip
solid bed

High Frictional
Heat

Efficient Solids Transport

Solid Bed
Pushes solids
Plug faster than
smooth-bore
High Rates
Low Temp
 Transport Mechanisms
Groove Feed

Filling Packing Locking

 Groove-Feed Extrusion

Output performance dependent on:

• Feed housing geometry
• Geometry of grooves
• Solids properties
• shape and size of feedstock
• coefficient of friction (COF)
• shear strength as a function of temperature
• Screw Design
 Groove Bushing Designs

Semi-Circular Ratchet Rectangular

 Pressurization
90mm 30:1 L/D Pressure Profile Comparison
75RPM, HDPE

800

700

600
Pressure (BAR)

500
HP Groove
400 High DSB6
Smooth
300

200

100

0
0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00 35.00
L/D
 Solid Conveying
Characteristics
Smooth Grooved
Accepts a wide range Specific feedstock
of feed materials geometry required
Accepts irregular Regrind is problematic
shape feed, regrind Narrower operating
Flexible operation window
Nonlinear specific Linear specific output
output vs. Screw vs. screw speed
Speed Higher Outputs
> 40-70%
Screw Cooling
Internal Screw Cooling
Core • Water or oil enters the screw
core via a rotary union
• Carried to the end of the
screw and back via a quill

Quill
 Screw Cooling: Pro/Con
Highly viscous polymer in metering zone
• Drops output due to reduced effective channel
depth and delayed melting
• Improves mixing properties
• Reduced occurrence of solid bed breakup
Improved melt quality (more cooling - less
variability in head pressure and melt
temperature)
 Melting
High Performance Barrier Screws
 Melting
Melting starts once a melt film is produced
at the barrel surface
Heat required to melt polymer comes from
two sources
• Conduction - heat transferred from the barrel
heaters
• Viscous Dissipation - mechanical energy from
motor transferred to the polymer as heat due to
plastic’s high viscosity
 Melting

Formation of a compacted solid bed

 Melting

Formation of a compacted solid bed

Development of a melt film
Conductive Melting w/Drag Induced
Melt Removal
Solids

Melt Film
Thickness
V0
Barrel Wall

Melt Solid
Channel Channel
 Melt Film / Barrel Wall
Interface

Conductive Melting
w/ Forced Melt Removal
Mechanical
Deformation

Melt Film / Solid Bed

Interface
 Melting
Formation of a compacted solid bed
Development of a melt film
Removal of melt into an accumulating
melt pool
 Melting
Barrier Screw
Barrier flight isolates solid bed from melt
pool
Solids and melt channel depths vary
independently to accommodate
accumulating melt pool and diminishing
solid bed
Critical design variables:
• Solids channel compression
• Barrier flight undercut
 Barrier Screw Design

Melt Channel Solids Channel

Shallow and Narrow Wide and Deep

Start of Barrier
Barrier Screw Design

Melt Channel
Increasing Depth and Width
Solids Channel
Decreasing Depth and Width

Mid Barrier
 Melt Channel
Solids Channel

Barrier Flight

Mid Barrier Cross-Sectional Photos

Solids Channel Melt Channel

Barrier Flight
Barrier Screw Design

Melt Channel
Wide and Deep
Solids Channel
Shallow and Narrow

End of Barrier
Melting - Barrier Screw
 Melting Instabilities

Maintaining the integrity of the solid bed

until melting is complete is critical
• Solid bed break-up is inherent with
conventional designs
• Solid bed break-up is also possible on poorly
designed barrier screws
 Observed Solid Bed Break-up

BARRIER SCREW

CONVENTIONAL
SCREW
Solid Bed Break-up

Classical
Melting
Mechanism

Solid Bed
Break-Up

Flow
 Solid Bed Break-up
Integration of the solid particulates and melt pool leads to
encapsulation of the solid
Encapsulated solids may pass through the rest of the
process without being melted if:
• Shear stresses are not high enough to melt the particulates
• Residence times are not long enough for melting to be completed
by conduction
Result:
• “gels” apparent in the extrudate
• Pressure (flow rate) and melt temperature variation
Operation of Screw Zone:
Melting
Davis-Standard Barrier
Screws
• DSB-I
• Increased Main Lead, Barrier
Lead Changes From Greater
Than to Equal to Main Lead
• DSB-II
• Increased Main Lead, Barrier
Lead Greater Than Main Lead
 DSB-I

DSB-I Barrier
Unwrapped View
 DSB-II

DSB-II Barrier
Metering - Pumping
Single Screw Extruder
Operation of Screw Zone:
Metering
Molten polymer is
conveyed forward by
contributions from drag
flow and by pressure
Drag Pressure flow (normally
Flow Flow opposing)
Motion of Flow
the barrel Resistance WHVBz WH 3 dP
relative to due to Die Q= −
2 12η dz
the screw restriction
Operation of Screw Zone:
Metering

Flow path of melt in Metering Zone,

• Helix-in-a-helix flow
Laminar mixing - polymer too viscous to really mix
well
• Need mixers to really mix polymer
 Rate Per Extruder Size
400
350 Geometric scale-up of
Ou t p u t Ra t e (lb /h )

300 output rate

250
• R2 = R1(D2/D1)2
200

150
Maximum output is
100 usually dictated by
50 acceptable output
0 quality
3 /4 "

1"

1 1 /4 "

1 1 /2 "

2"

2 1 /2 "

Ext r u d e r Size

LD P E LLD P E HDPE
 Venting (Devolatilization)
Removal of volatiles
to atmosphere or vacuum
Die End

2nd Stage 1st Stage

Act like a Melt-Fed Act like an Open-

Extruder Discharge Extruder
Vent Problems
Clipping
• Material enters into vent
opening, against the back-
edge (can either be wiped
away or collect in opening)
• Caused by vent design and
material properties
Vent Flow
• Pumping ratio too low,
material fills vent opening -
issue of screw balance
 Causes of Vent Flooding
Restricted 2nd Stage
• Restrictive die, clogged screens
• Too low temperature
• Screw Design
Unrestricted 1st Stage
• Screw Design
• Bulk density
• Too high temperature
Resin
• Excessive volatiles
• Excessive swell
 Mixing
Single Screw Extruder
 Mixing
• DISTRIBUTIVE
– Increase of interfacial area between two miscible components
– Splitting and recombination of flow streams

• DISPERSIVE
– Shear induced particle size reduction of immiscible components
 Mixing and Quality

Excellent Poor Poor Poor

Dispersive Distributive Dispersive &
Distributive
Poor mixing can effect:
• Physical properties
• Product Uniformity
• Aesthetics

! "# #
 Mixing Sections
DISTRIBUTIVE DISPERSIVE
Pineapple Mixer Union Carbide Mixer
Saxton Mixer Helical UCC
Dulmage Mixer Egan
Mixing Pins Cavity Transfer Mixer
Pineapple Mixing Section

! "# #

Streamlines Showing Distributive Mixing

 Mixing Pins
Easy to manufacture
Small pressure drop
Small-to-moderate
streamline re-
orientation
Stagnant points where
degradation occurs

Distributive Mixer
 Saxton Mixer

Good pumping and

distributive action
Small pressure drop
Good barrel wiping

Distributive Mixer
 Pineapple Mixer
Small pressure drop
Extensive re-
orientation of flow
Good homogeneity of
product
Wipes barrel surface,
avoiding stagnancy

Distributive Mixer
 Helical Union Carbide Mixing
Flow Pattern

Uniform mixing action

Easy to manufacture
High pressure drop
Channel Cross Section Forward pumping capacity
Streamlines Shown for helical style, not axial
Flight wipes barrel surface
 EGAN Mixer
Similar to UCC mixer
Higher pressure drop
Intensive shearing
Surface of barrel not
Dispersive Mixer wiped by flight
(completely under-cut)
 Blister Ring
Take up little space
Easy to manufacture
High pressure drop
Non-uniform mixing
action

Dispersive/Distributive
Mixer
Cavity Transfer Mixer (CTM)
 Cavity Transfer Mixer (CTM)
Rotor/Stator combination
Cavity-to-cavity transfer
provides intensive
distributive and
dispersive mixing
Expensive, needs screw
tip and barrel extension

Dispersive/Distributive
Mixer
 Screw Optimization
Optimize screw pressure
profile
WHVBZ WH 3 dP • Adjust Screw Parameter
Q= −
2 12η dZ • Start of Barrier, Solids and Melt
Channel Depths
τ = ηγ&
Optimize Using Barrel Heat
dP dP
P=x
dx
+z
dz
+ Po
Flux
E = m&C P (T − To ) + ∆H f + ηγ&2 Analytical Calculations
• Empirical Equations for Drag
and Pressure Flow
• Melting Rate
DAVIS-STANDARD
SCREW DESIGN
OPTIMIZATION USING
ADVANCED
ENGINEERING
TECHNIQUES
 High Speed Data Acquisition
• Davis-Standard
Customized Computer
Interface
• 8 Pressure
Transducers
• 4 J-Type
Thermocouples
• Data Acquisition
Rates Up To 1000 Hz
 Extruder Instrumentation
• Extruder Barrel Equipped with Multiple
Pressure Ports
– Typical Transducer Locations For Barrier Screws:
• End Of Feed Section • Metering Section
• Start Of Barrier • Breaker Plate
• Middle Of Barrier • Adapter Pipe
• End Of Barrier
• Exposed Junction Thermocouple in Adapter T

P P P P P P
 High Speed Data Analysis
• Pressure Variation (in adapter)
– Design criteria to be 1-2% total
• Pressure stability throughout the screw
– Observance of solid bed breakup
– Fully filled melt and solids channels
– Second stage balancing
• Melt Temperature Variation
– Design criteria to be under 1°F
 Screw Optimization Using
Empirical Techniques
• Balance Feeding, Melting, Pumping
• Adjust Start of Barrier, Solids and Melt Channel
Depths
• Evaluate Barrel Heat Flux
• Cooling Requirements (Air of Water)
 Temperature Control
Considerations
• Water
• Air
• Dual Thermocouple

A
 Process Analysis - DSBM-T
Feeding
Cross Channel Pressure
Gradient
2300

2100

1900

1700

1500

1300
0 20 40 60 80 100

Cross Section: Barrier Start

 Process Analysis - DSBM-T
Melting
Cross Channel Pressure
Gradient
3500
3300
3100
2900
2700
2500
2300
0 20 40 60 80 100

Cross Section: Barrier Section

 Process Analysis - DSBM-T
Plastication
Cross Channel Pressure
Gradient
2200
2100
2000
1900
1800
1700
1600
0 20 40 60 80 100

Cross Section: Barrier End

 Process Analysis - DSBM-T
Pumping
Cross Channel Pressure
Gradient
1450

1430

1410

1390

1370

1350
0 20 40 60 80 100

Cross Section: Meter Section

 Process Analysis - SSMM-T
Feeding
Cross Channel Pressure
Gradient
1900
1800
1700
1600
1500
1400
1300
0 50 100 150

Cross Section: Transition

 Process Analysis - SSMM-T
Melting
Cross Channel Pressure
Gradient
2300

2200

2100

2000

1900

1800
0 50 100 150

Cross Section: Meter Start

 Process Analysis - SSMM-T
Plastication
Cross Channel Pressure
Gradient
3200

3100

3000

2900
0 50 100 150

Cross Section: Meter Middle

 Process Analysis - SSMM-T
Pumping
Cross Channel Pressure
Gradient
3400
3350
3300
3250
3200
3150
3100
0 50 100 150

Cross Section: Meter End

 Typical Pressure Trace
DSB-I LDPE
700

P1 (psi) 350

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

2400

1600
P2 (psi) 800

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

2800

2200
P3 (psi) 1600
1000
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Time (seconds)
 Typical Pressure Trace
DSB-I LDPE

3600

2900
P4 (psi) 2200

1500
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

3300

P5 (psi) 3200
3100

3000
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Time (seconds)
 Typical Pressure Trace
DSB-I LDPE

2820
Head 2800

Pressure 2780
2760
(psi) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

398
Melt 397
396
Temp 395
(F) 394
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Time (seconds)
 Process Analysis
Screw Push-Outs
• Investigate Screw Design Using Screw
Push-Outs of a DSBM-T and a SSMM-T
• Compare Pressure Traces With Screw
Carcass
– Feeding Stability
– Melting Stability
– Plastication Stability
– Pumping Stability
 Melting Instabilities
• Maintaining the integrity of the solid bed
until melting is complete is critical
– Solid bed break-up is inherent with
conventional designs
– Solid bed break-up is also possible on poorly
designed barrier screws
 Solid Bed Break-up
• Integration of the solid particulates and melt pool leads to
encapsulation of the solid
• Encapsulated solids may pass through the rest of the
process without being melted if:
– Shear stresses are not high enough to melt the particulates
– Residence times are not long enough for melting to be completed
by conduction
• Result:
– “gels” apparent in the extrudate
– Pressure (flow rate) and melt temperature variation
 MELTING MECHANISM SEEN IN SCREW
PUSH-OUTS

BARRIER SCREW

CONVENTIONAL
SCREW
 Solid Bed Break-Up
Solid Bed Break-Up

1800
Cyclic variation in pressure profile

1600

1400

1200
Pressure (PSI)

1000

800

600
Movement of solid bed

400

200

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Time (seconds)
 Solid Bed Break-Up
Solid Bed Break-Up

1800
Movement of Solid Bed
1600

1400

1200
Pressure (PSI)

1000

800

600
Solid bed in solids channel Full melt in solids channel
400

200

0
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
Time (seconds)
 Melt Temperature

Influenced primarily by two factors:

• Conduction
= f (residence time, barrel set-points, limitations
of heating/cooling units...)
• Viscous Energy Dissipation (VED)
= f (viscosity, shear rate...)
DAVIS-STANDARD

COMPUTATIONAL
ANALYSIS
 Computational Analysis
Actual vs. Predicted
• Melting Rate
• Pressure Generation
• Heat Flux
• Power Consumption
• Residence Time
 Materials of Construction
Standard
• AISI 4140 Cr Alloy Steel, Rc 28-32
• AISI 4340 Cr Alloy Steel, Rc 32-37
High Corrosion Resistance
• Hastelloy C-276 - Ni Alloy Steel
• Inconel 625, 718 - Ni-Cr Alloy Steel
• PH Stainless Steel
High Wear Resistance
• CPM 9V/10V
• Nitralloy 135M Cr-Al Alloy Steel for Nitriding (Case
depth 0.017”)
• Reiloy R123 PM-HIP Fe Alloy Steel
 Flight Hardening

Flame Hardening, Rc 53-58 (AISI 4140)

Optional In-lay Metals
• Colmonoy 56
• Colmonoy 83 In-lay
• Stellite 6
Flight
Cross-Section
Stages of Manufacturing
Steel Billets
(Starting Point)

Arc-welding Inlay
Metal for Flight-
Hardening

Prepared billet
with welded flights
ready for machining
Screw Manufacturing
Cutting the Screw
• Whirler - Rapid cutting
technology with 6 deg.
Of Freedom
• Milling - CNC guided
ball- or end-milling
tooling
Screw Polish
Cut Shank & Keyway
 Screw Wear
Screw is designed to
Mic
wear before barrel
Gradual loss in output
rate
Gradual increase in melt
temperature at set output
rate

Mic Bar