Predicting orientation in extruded wood polymer composites

A general procedure for combining material functions and numerical modeling to predict the orientation of highly filled wood polymer composites (WPCs) in a single screw extrusion and validation thereof is elaborated in this study. Capillary rheometry was used to determine the shear viscosity and wall slip functions as well as the melt density of the biocomposites. The numerical model consisted of a model film die where the melt flow was simulated using a finite element method in the generalized Newtonian constitute equation framework. Fiber orientation was modeled using the Folgar–Tucker approach and included fiber–fiber interaction during the process. Reference extrusion tests were performed on a single screw extruder on the biocomposites. The extrusion setup included two melt pressure transducers that were used to determine the die inlet initial conditions (end of the extruder/die inlet) and provide feedback on the wall slip boundary conditions (pressure discharge along the die). Overall, the pressure error between experiments and simulations was less than 6.5% for all screw speeds investigated in 20 wt. % WPCs. Extrudates were produced, and the wood fiber orientation was estimated based on scanning electron microscopy micrographs and image analysis and compared with the simulations of fiber orientation. We show that the general procedure outlined can be calibrated to predict the overall orientation distribution of wood fiber biocomposites during single screw extrusion.