SOFTWARE | MACHINERY
Modelling job: software for plastics extrusion
Simulation software can be applied to many extrusion applications – from reducing die swell to estimating how much damage an earthquake might cause to the PVC water pipe network
In plastics extrusion, modelling software is typically applied in areas such as die design – but there are many other simulations that can help plastics extruders to make better products. The US-based Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI), for
instance, has updated its Plastic Pipe Design Calculator – a free software tool for the design of plastic pressure pipe and tubing systems in a variety of materials. The calculator is for use in applications including plumbing, water service, fire protection, radiant heating and cooling, geothermal ground loops and district heating. It covers the use of CPVC, HDPE, PEX, PE-RT, PP-R and PP-RCT. The updates in Version 3.0 of the calculator include: more than 50 new pipe sizes; methanol as a fluid choice for geothermal designs; sodium chloride and calcium chloride brine solutions as fluid choices for chilled water; and a new Static Water Column Pressure function. This new function is the sixth tool available in the
calculator and will help designers to estimate the pressure inside piping at the bottom of a geother- mal borehole or at the bottom of a multi-story plumbing, fire protection, or hydronic system. “With the addition of Static Water Column
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Pressure, the calculator helps designers determine a potentially overlooked aspect of piping design – the internal pipe pressure that is created by the column of fluid in a tall vertical pipe,” said Lance MacNevin, director of engineering in PPI’s building and construction division. “This new function allows the user to select the fluid, the temperature, and the elevation of the water column.” The calculator allows the user to select either IP/ US or Metric/SI working units, as well as multiple fluids. Fluid temperatures and mix ratios are chosen by the user. Results can be viewed, printed, or emailed.
Reduced swelling A Netherlands-based researcher has developed a simulation model that helps to reduce the problem of die swell.
When plastic is extruded through a die, it tends
to expand due to internal stresses in the material. The problem is usually solved by trial-and-error – but it is time-consuming and can create large amounts of waste material. In her PhD thesis, Modeling and optimization of polymer extrusion, Michelle Spanjaards – a member of the Polymer Technology research group at
March/April 2023 | PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION 25
Main image: PPI has updated its free software tool for the design of plastic pressure pipe and
tubing systems
IMAGE: PPI
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