End pressure corrections in capillary rheometry of concentrated suspensions

The end effect of a capillary die was investigated on concentrated suspensions with different particle concentrations, using dies with different diameters and at different temperatures. Nonlinearity in the Bagley plots was observed experimentally, and the nonlinearity increased with increasing particle concentration, decreasing temperature, and smaller capillary dies. Calculated end pressures based on the nonlinear Bagley plots were compared with those measured using an orifice die. As the extruded melts tended to stick on the exit wall of the capillary die, measurements by orifice die registered (40–50%) higher losses than those obtained from Bagley corrections. The key factors, which include particle concentration, contraction ratio, temperature, and flow rate, were discussed for their effects on end pressure. A formula was proposed combining the effects of these factors. Good agreement was obtained between the calculated end pressures with predicted results by the proposed formula. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009