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Numerical simulation into influence of airflow channel quantities on melt-blowing airflow field in processing of polymer fiber

  • Dongjun Guo , Zhisong Zhu EMAIL logo and Jie Yuan
Published/Copyright: December 26, 2023
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e-Polymers
From the journal e-Polymers Volume 23 Issue 1

Abstract

To obtain better airflow field characteristics of melt-blowing and acquire slender melt-blowing fiber, a new die with multi-channel of melt-blowing airflow was designed. The airflow field under the spinneret hole of the melt-blowing die was simulated and analyzed using computational fluid dynamics method, and distribution rules of the ordinary die and the new die on the airflow field along the spinning centerline were compared and discussed. The melt-blowing fiber diameter distribution for the ordinary die and the new die was numerically calculated using a stretching model of the melt-blowing fiber. In contrast with an ordinary die, the new melt-blowing die enhances the average speed in main stretching zone by 89.8% and increases the peak speed by 50.4%. The higher airflow temperature of new die improves the softening degree and melting fluidity of the polymer. Meanwhile, the smaller turbulence intensity and the reverse speed of the new die make airflow more stable and reduce disturbance and adhesion of the fiber, and a larger pressure difference and a peak pressure can accelerate the refinement and attenuation of the fiber. The new melt-blowing die with airflow multi-channel is conducive to extension, which is a better choice in the manufacturing process of nonwoven melt-blowing fibers.

Keywords: melt-blowing; airflow channel; polymer fiber; processing; airflow field

1 Introduction

Nonwoven melt-blowing process is a rapidly developing and widely used polymer fiber manufacturing technology, which can directly prepare polymers into ultra-fine fibers and deposit them on the collection device to become nonwoven materials. The diameter of the most melt-blowing fibers can reach several microns or even hundreds of nanometers (1). Melt-blowing process has the characteristics of small fiber diameter and high production efficiency. Nonwoven melt-blowing fiber is widely used in various industries, e.g., medical and health, filtration and sound insulation, insulation, and heat preservation (2,3).

The double-slot melt-blowing die is a core component of melt-blowing equipment. An ordinary melt-blowing die with double slots is the earliest and more familiar die, as shown in Figure 1. The ordinary die is comprised of one spinneret and two gas plates, and there are two airflow channels between the spinneret and the air plates. The spinneret hole of the die extrudes the polymer, and the high-speed airflow stretches the molten polymer into fiber. The airflow field under the die directly determines the diameter, strength, and crystallinity of the fiber (4). The design and discussion of melt-blowing die is the fundamental task of studying the complete process of melt-blowing fiber stretching and refinement. Many researchers have studied structure and high-speed airflow field of the die using a large number of experiments and numerical calculation methods.

Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the ordinary die.
Figure 1

Schematic diagram of the ordinary die.

At the end of the last century, Harpham and Shambaugh (5,6) adopt pitot tube to survey the airflow field under the single-hole die, revealing the distribution rule of airflow speed and temperature. They found that for the position near the nozzle, the actual airflow field was very close to the flow field of two-dimensional (two-D) jet. At the beginning of this century, Krutka and Shambaugh (7) and Krutka et al. (8,9) proposed that the effects of nozzle angle and convergence angle on airflow under isothermy and non-isothermy airflow factors were studied using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software. Results suggest that the isothermy and non-isothermy factors are analogous: the more the nose of the die is concave and the smaller the convergence angle is, the greater the average speed is and the higher the turbulence intensity is. Moore et al. (10) used CFD to simulate compressible airflow under isothermy factors. They reset the turbulence parameters in FLUENT soft, C1 defined to 1.24, C2 defined to 1.82, so that the software simulation results are very close to the experimental results. Bresee and Ko (11) focused on the expanding state of fiber during melt-blowing by experimental measurement methods. Results suggest the fiber diameter attenuation mainly depends on the gas drag approaching the die, the gas drag near the airflow, and prolongation degree, and the fiber diameter decline primarily happens near the melt-blowing die. Sun et al. (12) and Sun and Wang (13) combined numerical simulation and genetic algorithm to analyze the effects of structural factors that is horizontal width of air-slot, air-slot angle, and spinneret nose width in the airflow field. The results show that the smaller slot angle and larger slot width can keep the temperature for a long distance, which is helpful to the polymer stretching and reduce the fiber diameter. In recent years, Xie and Zeng (14), Xie et al. (15), and Yang and Zeng (16) collected the data of turbulent airflow field and fiber motion under the die with the help of hot wire anemometer. Results suggest that the features of the airflow field are tightly relevant to the fiber motion and the homogenization of fiber diameter. Tan et al. (17) carried out numerical simulation and experimental verification of the die with Laval nozzle structure. The die increases the airflow speed along the centerline and reduces the diameter fiber of the melt-blowing. Ji et al. (18) and Wang et al. (19) analyzed a new melt-blowing die with internal stabilizer by software simulation and experimental measurement. The melt-blowing die with internal stabilizer has better airflow field feature and is helpful to the production of finer fibers. Yang and Zeng (20) added two kinds of airflow deflectors under the ordinary melt-blowing die and analyzed the melt-blowing airflow field and the motion of fiber under the airflow field using two-wire probe hot wire anemometer and high-speed camera. It is found that the arrangement of airflow deflector has a great influence on the turbulence distribution and fiber oscillation. Hassan et al. (21), united with numerical computation and experimental tests, studied a new die with vertical or inclined gas constrictor, which can make the polymer fiber finer. Xin and Wang (22) investigated the influence of air-slot angle in airflow field using numerical computation. Results show that higher airflow speed, pressure difference, and temperature can be gained as the air-slot angle is 70°. Xie et al. (23) studied the phenomenon of gas recirculation in the airflow of ordinary die by means of CFD, particle image velocimetry, and rotation experiments. The results show that the gas circulation near the spinneret hole of the die tends to split the normal polymerization flow, which has an adverse effect on the continuity of ultra-fine spinning fiber. Hao et al. (24,25) conducted simulation analysis of coupled field between fiber and airflow and researched the effect of heat-insulated tubing on the melt-blowing airflow field. The results show that the insulation tube can enhance the temperature, speed, and turbulent kinetic energy of the airflow field. The die with insulation tube can achieve higher polymer attenuation, and the heating effect can further enhance the fiber attenuation. Han et al. (26) used numerical simulation method to simulate the flow field of melt-blowing and the motion of fiber. The results show that the fluctuation of airflow velocity will cause fiber disturbance, which has an important influence on the diminution of fiber diameter. Karl et al. (27) have studied the interaction between polymer and airflow and the effects of melt-blowing process parameters on fiber disturbance instability and fiber diameter. The results show that fiber disturbance instability is caused by the velocity difference between polymer and airflow, and fiber diameter is mainly affected by polymer extrusion and airflow velocity. Daenicke et al. (28) optimized the melt-electrospinning process of polypropylene with different additives. The results show that the fiber diameter depends on the process parameters, melt viscosity, and electrical conductivity. The minimum diameter of the optimized fiber reaches the median value of 210 nm. Zheng et al. (29) studied the effects of gas flow and electric field of cylindrical-electrode-assisted solution blowing spinning (CSBS) on the preparation of nanofibers by means of numerical simulation, theoretical analysis, and experiments, which provided a theoretical and experimental basis for the controllable preparation of CSBS nanofibers.

The aforementioned researchers have done a lot of work on the ordinary die and its structural improvement and achieved certain practical application effect. A few negative elements in the ordinary die make the airflow speed and temperature under the die attenuate quickly, which limits the degree of fiber refinement. The finer the melt-blowing fiber is, the better the performance of its products is. The finer melt-blowing fiber can greatly improve the performance of the melt-blowing product. We believe that the melt-blowing airflow field can be effectively heightened by skillfully improving the structure of the slot die and the shape of the airflow channel, so as to obtain micron or even nanometer melt-blowing fibers. In our study, by increasing the quantities of airflow channels and improving the structure of airflow channels, the airflow of the new die is numerically studied using numerical simulation, so that the melt-blowing die can obtain better airflow field characteristics.

2 Modeling and method

2.1 Geometric model of melt-blowing airflow multi-channel

An ordinary melt-blowing die is recorded as Die 0, as shown in Figure 1, the top width f of the spinneret was set as 2.02 mm, the air-slot angle α between the centerline of the airflow channel and the bottom of the gas plate was defined as 60°, and the outlet width e of the airflow channel was defined as 0.65 mm, which are the sizes of a typical commercial blunt die, and many researchers have adopted these values (18,22). As shown in Figure 2, so as to refine the melt-blowing fiber by obtaining a larger airflow speed along the spinning centerline below the spinneret hole, a new melt-blowing die with airflow multi-channel was built by changing the structure of ordinary die, the second airflow channel is arranged below the main airflow channel, and the cross section of the new die is axisymmetric. The vertical distance between the outlet of the two airflow channels was recorded as m, the arc radius at the top of the spinneret was recorded as r, the angle between the centerline of the second airflow channel and the bottom of the gas plate was recorded as β, the angle between the outlet of the second airflow channel and the bottom of the gas plate was recorded as γ, and the contraction angle of the airflow channel was recorded as θ.

Figure 2 Schematic diagram of new die.
Figure 2

Schematic diagram of new die.

In order to study the influence of the structural parameters of the melt-blowing die with multi-channel on the airflow field distribution, a variety of new dies having different structures and sizes are listed in this study. The parameter values of the new different die are shown in Table 1.

Table 1

Structural parameters of dies

Die r (mm) m (mm) β (°) γ (°) θ (°)
1 0 0 35 90 0
2 1.56 2 35 90 12
3 1.56 1 35 90 12
4 1.56 0 35 90 12
5 1.56 0 35 0 12
6 1.56 0 35 45 12
7 1.56 0 35 45 15
8 1.56 0 35 45 18
9 1.56 0 35 45 9
10 1.56 0 40 45 15
11 1.56 0 30 45 15

2.2 Melt-blowing turbulence modeling

In this work, we used the standard k–ɛ model to analyze the airflow field of ordinary die and new die. Using the standard k–ɛ model can correctly estimate the airflow field in turbulent core area. The numerical calculation method of fluid flow is based on the basic governing equation of fluid mechanics. The turbulence model of melt-blowing airflow field consists of continuity equation, momentum equation, energy equation, turbulent kinetic equation, and turbulent dissipation rate equation (30). The five equations are expressed as follows:

(1) ∂ u ∂ x + ∂ v ∂ y = 0

(2) ∂ ( ρ u ) ∂ t + div ( ρ u v ¯ ) = − ∂ p ∂ x + ∂ τ x x ∂ x + ∂ τ y x ∂ y + F x ∂ ( ρ v ) ∂ t + div ( ρ v v ¯ ) = − ∂ p ∂ y + ∂ τ x x ∂ x + ∂ τ y x ∂ y + F y

(3) ∂ ( ρ T ) ∂ t + div ( ρ u ¯ T ) = div ( k a c p grad T ) + S T

(4) ∂ ( ρ k ) ∂ t + ∂ ( ρ k u i ) ∂ x i = ∂ ∂ x j μ + μ t σ k ∂ k ∂ x j − 2 ρ ε M t 2 + μ t ( ∂ u i ∂ y j + ∂ u j ∂ y i ) ∂ u i ∂ y j + γ g i μ t σ t ∂ T ∂ y i − ρ ε + S k

(5) ∂ ( ε k ) ∂ t + ∂ ( ρ ε u i ) ∂ x i = ∂ ∂ x j μ + μ t σ ε ∂ ε ∂ x j + C 1 ε ε k ( G k + C 3 ε G b ) − C 2 ε ρ ε 2 k + S ε

where u and v are the x and y components of the airflow speed; p is the gas unit pressure; τ xx and τ xy are the components of the viscous stress acting on the surface of unit caused by molecular viscosity; F x and F y are the forces on the unit; ρ is the gas density; T is the thermodynamic temperature of the gas; k a is the heat transfer coefficient of the gas; S T is the source term; c p is the heat ratio at constant pressure; the ranges of i and j are 1, 2, 3; μ t is the turbulent viscosity coefficient; σ k and σ ɛ are the turbulent Prandtl numbers; g i is the component of the gravitational acceleration of the gas in the i direction; γ is the gas thermal expansion coefficient; M t is the Mach number; u i is the speed of y-direction; C 1ɛ , C 2ɛ and C 3ɛ are the constants; S k and S ɛ are the source terms. In this study, the values of C 1ɛ and C 2ɛ were, respectively, defined as 1.24 and 2.05, and the other parameters were defined as default values (31).

2.3 Calculating domain and grid calculation

The airflow field under the die with narrow slot accords with the characteristics of two-D distribution. In contrast with three-D airflow field, two-D airflow field can not only ensure the reliability of the calculation results, but also effectively save calculation time and resources (32). The two-D model is symmetrical about the spinning centerline, so the calculation domain of the airflow field takes one side of the symmetry axis for the total airflow field. Taking the ordinary die as an example, Figure 3 displays the calculation domain of the airflow field of ordinary die. Point O is the base point of the coordinate system and is situated at the center of the spinneret outlet, ON is the spinning centerline, the y direction is consistent with the spinning fiber movement direction, and the x-axis is perpendicular to the y-axis and away from ON. The size of the airflow channel along the direction of fiber movement is 10 mm, and the calculation domains NO and NM are, respectively, 100 and 20 mm.

Figure 3 Calculating domain.
Figure 3

Calculating domain.

All the dies adopt the same meshing method, and first generated the mesh of the initial quadrilateral structure with the size of 0.3 mm. In FLUENT, the region encryption method was used to refine the airflow field of all airflow regions. The total number of grids of the ordinary die after encryption is 365,568, and the grid quality is good, which can ensure the accuracy of airflow field calculation.

2.4 Calculation parameters

In this study, the hot gas was used as fluid and set as ideal gas. The inlet boundary was defined as “pressure inlet.” The new die has two inlet boundaries, namely, “inlet 1” and “inlet 2,” the absolute value of pressure was set as 1.3 atm, the value of temperature was set as 543 K, the value of turbulence intensity at the inlet was set to 10%, and the value of hydraulic diameter was set to 0.65 mm. The outlet boundary was set as “pressure outlet,” the pressure and the temperature were set to the atmospheric condition, the value of turbulence intensity was set to 10%, and the value of hydraulic diameter was equal to 10 mm. The spinning centerline NO was set as “symmetrical,” and the other boundaries were set to a non-slip wall, the material was set as “steel,” and the temperature was equal to 543 K.

2.5 Experimental verification

The verification of the rationality of the model is a crucial step in the numerical analysis of the performance of the melt-blowing die. The researchers in the reference (33) used the dynamic velocity measurement system of Dantec StreamLine to measure the airflow field under the ordinary melt-blowing die and obtained the experimental data of the airflow velocity on the centerline below the melt-blowing die. In the process of model verification, the geometric shape, size parameters, and boundary conditions of the melt-blowing die are the same in the numerical simulation and experimental measurement, the inlet pressure is 1.3 atm, the initial airflow temperature is 400.15 K, and the outlet pressure and temperature are standard atmospheric condition. Like the numerical simulation, the experimental measurement ignores the influence of melt-blowing fiber on the airflow field. Figure 4 shows the comparison between the simulation results of the airflow velocity of the ordinary melt-blowing die and the experimental measurement results. It can be seen that the experimental measurement results of the airflow velocity on the spinning centerline are basically consistent with the numerical simulation results. The results show that the airflow field characteristics of the melt-blowing die can be accurately evaluated using the standard k–ɛ turbulence model.

Figure 4 Comparison between experimental results and simulation results.
Figure 4

Comparison between experimental results and simulation results.

3 Results and discussion

This study mainly discusses the distribution of speed and temperature on the spinning centerline under the die related to fiber stretching. According to the research of Bansal and Shambaugh (34), we can know that the speed and the peak speed along the spinning centerline directly affect the refinement ability of melt-blowing fiber. Meanwhile, they also found that more than 96% of the fiber tensile refinement occurs in the main stretching zone within the 15 mm range below the spinneret hole of the melt-blowing die. So the airflow field in the main stretching zone will be paid more attention in this study.

3.1 Effect of airflow channel distance on melt-blowing die

Figure 5 shows the effect of different distances between the main airflow channel and the second airflow channel on the speed along the spinning centerline. The dies investigated are Die 2, Die 3, and Die 4. The three airflow speed curves on the spinning centerline under the dies show a similar trend. It can be seen that the speed of Die 4 is faster than that of Die 2 and Die 3 along the spinning centerline within the spinneret hole of 10 mm, and in other distances, the speed of Die 4 is slightly lower than that of other dies. The maximum speed on the spinning centerline of the three dies all occurs within the distance from the spinneret hole 10 mm, and the peak speed of Die 4 is bigger than that of Die 2 and Die 3. In the main stretching zone of the spinning centerline, the average speed of Die 2 is 210.3 m·s−1, and the average speed of Die 3 is 221 m·s−1. Die 4 has the highest average speed, which is 231.7 m·s−1. The speed within a small distance near the spinneret holes of the three dies is less than zero, indicating that the direction of the airflow here is reverse to orientation of the fiber stretching, which is disadvantageous to the fiber stretching, and the polymer backblowing phenomenon will occur. In Figure 5b, the reverse speed of Die 4 is the smallest, and the backblowing phenomenon is not obvious.

Figure 5 Speed distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline: (a) all domains and (b) local domain.
Figure 5

Speed distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline: (a) all domains and (b) local domain.

Figure 6 shows the effect of different distances between the main airflow channel and the second airflow channel on the temperature along the spinning centerline. The temperature attenuation curves on the spinning centerline of different dies have a similar tendency. The temperature drop of Die 4 is slightly faster than that of other dies. However, there is no significant difference in temperature between Die 4 and the other two dies in the range of 4.5–8.5 mm, and the peak speed of Die 4 also occurs in this area according to the speed distribution curve of Figure 5. The speed along the spinning centerline has a direct effect on the fiber diameter. Combined with the characteristics of the speed curve and temperature curve on the spinning centerline, Die 4 has a better speed advantage, while the temperature on the spinning centerline has little difference with other dies. So we think that Die 4 is more favorable for fiber stretching. As a consequence, there should be no gap between the outlet of the second airflow channel and the outlet of the main airflow channel, and the wallboard between the two airflow channels should be pointed.

Figure 6 Temperature distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline: (a) all domains and (b) local domain.
Figure 6

Temperature distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline: (a) all domains and (b) local domain.

3.2 Effect of second channel position on melt-blowing die

Figure 7 displays the effect of different positions of the second airflow channel on the speed along the spinning centerline, which is mainly investigated by Die 4, Die 5, and Die 6. The variation tendency of the speed along the spinning centerline of the three dies is basically similar. It can be seen that near the spinneret hole, the growth rate of Die 4 is faster than that of Die 5. The peak velocities of Die 4 and Die 6 are basically identical. Die 6 can maintain a high speed value in a large distance; especially in the position after 9 mm, the speed value of Die 6 is obviously bigger than that of other dies. At the main stretching zone of 0–15 mm along the spinning centerline, the average speed of Die 5 is the smallest, which is 225.7 m·s−1, and that of Die 6 is the highest, which is 235.6 m·s−1. Compared with Die 4 and Die 5, Die 6 has a greater speed advantage.

Figure 7 Speed distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline: (a) all domains and (b) local domain.
Figure 7

Speed distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline: (a) all domains and (b) local domain.

Figure 8 shows the effect of different positions of the second airflow channel on the temperature along the spinning centerline; the variation tendency of the temperature along the spinning centerline under the three dies is basically similar. It can be seen that the temperatures of the three dies are basically alike within the 0–8 mm of the main stretching zone. At the position after 8 mm, the temperature of Die 6 is evidently bigger than that of others. Therefore, combined with the speed distribution curve of Figure 7, when the angle between the outlet line of the second airflow channel and the bottom of the gas plate is 45°, Die 6 has better speed and temperature advantages.

Figure 8 Temperature distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline: (a) all domains and (b) local domain.
Figure 8

Temperature distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline: (a) all domains and (b) local domain.

3.3 Effect of the contraction angle of the airflow channel on melt-blowing die

Figure 9 displays the effect of the contraction angle of the airflow channel on the speed along the spinning centerline, which is mainly investigated by Die 6, Die 7, Die 8, and Die 9. The variation tendency of the speed along the spinning centerline under the four dies is basically identical. Figure 9b shows that there is a slight difference in the main stretching zone of these dies. Along the spinning centerline below the die, the speed of Die 7 is slightly faster than that of other dies; the average speed of Die 9 is the smallest, which is 231.9 m·s−1; and that of Die 7 is the highest, which is 236.4 m·s−1. Although there is little difference in the speed of the four dies at the same position of the spinning centerline, Die 7 still has a certain speed advantage.

Figure 9 Speed distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline: (a) all domains and (b) local domain.
Figure 9

Speed distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline: (a) all domains and (b) local domain.

Figure 10 displays the effect of the contraction angle of the airflow channel on the temperature along the spinning centerline. The variation tendency of the temperature along the spinning centerline under the four dies is basically identical. It can be seen that in Figure 10, there is no obvious difference in the temperature of the four dies at the same position along the spinning centerline, the four temperature curves basically coincide, and the speed and temperature values of the four dies are not significantly different. However, combined with the speed curve of Figure 8b, we can see that Die7 still has a small speed advantage, so the contraction angle of two pairs of airflow channels can be selected as 15°.

Figure 10 Temperature distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline: (a) all domains and (b) local domain.
Figure 10

Temperature distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline: (a) all domains and (b) local domain.

3.4 Effect of the inclination angle of the second airflow channel on melt-blowing die

Figure 11 displays the effect of inclination angle of the second airflow channel on the speed along the spinning centerline, which is mainly investigated by Die 7, Die 10, and Die 11. The variation tendency of the speed along the spinning centerline under the dies is basically identical. From Figure 11a, it can be seen that there is a small difference in the speed of the dies along the spinning centerline. We can see that in Figure 10b, compared with the main stretching zones of three dies, the speed of Die 7 is higher than that of Die 10 and Die 11 in the distance within the 12 mm below the die, and the peak speed of Die 7 is the highest. So Die 7 has a slight speed advantage.

Figure 11 Speed distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline: (a) all domains and (b) local domain.
Figure 11

Speed distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline: (a) all domains and (b) local domain.

Figure 12 displays the effect of the inclination angle of the second airflow channel on the temperature along the spinning centerline. The temperature attenuation curve along the spinning centerline under the die has similar tendency. From Figure 12, it can be seen that there is no significant difference in the temperature of the three dies at the same position along the spinning centerline. Figure 12b displays that after the range of 10 mm below the die, the temperature of Die 7 is a trifle smaller than that of Die 10 and slightly bigger than that of Die 11. To sum up, the inclination angle of the second airflow channel has little influence on the airflow field, and considering the speed advantage of Die 7, so the inclination angle of the second airflow channel of the die can be selected as 35°.

Figure 12 Temperature distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline: (a) all domains and (b) local domain.
Figure 12

Temperature distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline: (a) all domains and (b) local domain.

3.5 Comparison between new melt-blowing die with airflow multi-channel and ordinary melt-blowing die

3.5.1 Speed along the centerline of the dies

Figure 13 shows the speed distribution of the ordinary die and the new melt-blowing die with airflow multi-channel along the spinning centerline, which is mainly discussed by Die 0, Die 1, and Die 7. The speeds along the spinning centerline of all melt-blowing dies show a similar tendency. As shown in Figure 13a, anywhere along the spinning centerline blow the die, the airflow speed of Die 7 is the highest, Die 1 is the second, and Die 0 is the smallest. In contrast with the ordinary die, the airflow speed of Die 7 has been greatly improved. Along the spinning centerline, the average speed of Die 0 is 79.5 m·s−1, the average speed of Die 1 is 110.7 m·s−1, and the average speed of Die 7 is 152.2 m·s−1. Therefore, on the whole spinning centerline, in contrast with the ordinary die, the average speed of Die 1 increases by 39.2% and the average speed of Die 7 increases by 91.4%. The increased effect of the speed for the new die is very obvious.

Figure 13 Speed distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline: (a) all domains and (b) local domain.
Figure 13

Speed distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline: (a) all domains and (b) local domain.

Figure 13b shows the speed distribution curve along the main drawing zone of 0–15 mm below the spinneret hole of the die. In the region of 0–15 mm along the spinning centerline, the average speed of Die 0 is 124.5 m·s−1, the average speed of Die 1 is 178.3 m·s−1, and the average speed of Die 7 is 236.4 m·s−1. In contrast with the ordinary die, the average speed of Die 1 is improved by 43.2% and the average speed of Die 7 is improved by 89.8%. The peak speed of the Die 7 is significantly higher, which is improved by 50.4%, and the increase in speed is considerable. The speed value of Die 7 is almost unchanged in the range of 3–11 mm along the spinning centerline, and the maximum speed is maintained for a long distance, which is very beneficial to the fiber stretching and refinement, and slight fiber can be achieved. In contrast with Figure 13b and the airflow vector diagram of Figure 14, it can be seen that in a small range close to the die, there is a reverse airflow less than 0 in the speed values of the three dies, and the polymer melt will be backblowing, which is disadvantageous to the fiber stretching and refinement. When the backblowing speed of Die 0 reaches −33.4 m·s−1, the backblowing speed of Die 7 is only −8.2 m·s−1, which is greatly improved. The backblowing phenomenon of Die 7 is small, so that the adverse effect caused by fiber disturbance is reduced.

Figure 14 Airflow speed vector diagram of different dies: (a) Die 0, (b) Die 1, and (a) Die 7.
Figure 14

Airflow speed vector diagram of different dies: (a) Die 0, (b) Die 1, and (a) Die 7.

To sum up, after adding the second airflow channel to the ordinary die, Die 7 with multi-channel greatly increases the average speed and peak speed along the spinning centerline improves the adverse effect of the backblowing phenomenon near spinneret hole of the die, can effectively refine the fiber diameter, and has obvious speed advantage.

3.5.2 Temperature along the centerline of the dies

Figure 15 displays the temperature distribution of the ordinary die and the new melt-blowing die with airflow multi-channel along the spinning centerline. The temperature on spinning centerline of all melt-blowing dies shows a similar trend. In the range of 0–4 mm, the temperature of Die 7 is lower than that of Die 0, and in the range of 0–6.5 mm, the temperature of Die 7 is lower than that of Die 1. However, in the position after 6.5 mm, the temperature of Die 7 is significantly bigger than that of other dies. In the main stretching zone within 0–15 mm, the average temperature of Die 0 is the lowest, which is 473 K, but Die 7 has the highest average temperature, which is 506 K and has greatly improved.

Figure 15 Temperature distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline: (a) all domains and (b) local domain.
Figure 15

Temperature distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline: (a) all domains and (b) local domain.

The airflow temperature has no direct effect on the refinement of melt-blowing fiber (22). If only the change of airflow temperature is taken into account, it will not have any effect on the attenuation of the fiber, because the heat of the airflow is transferred to the molten fiber through heat conduction, under the action of no external force, the change of the temperature of the molten fiber only changes its softening degree and ductility, the geometric state of the fiber almost does not change, and even the diameter of the molten fiber will increase slightly under the action of thermal expansion. However, with the change of temperature, the high-speed airflow will blow and pull the melt fiber. Because the polymer melt is easily affected by the temperature, the higher airflow temperature will lead to the higher temperature of the melt-blown fiber, which improved the softening degree and ductility of the polymer fiber, so that the melt-blowing fiber can maintain the melting state for a long time and delay the curing of the polymer fiber. As a result, the tensile refinement of the polymer fiber is improved and the melt-blowing fiber with smaller diameter is obtained. The air temperature can refine the fiber under the action of external force by changing the softening degree and fluidity of the molten polymer. In the absence of external force, the change of airflow temperature will not have a direct and substantial effect on the melt-blowing fiber. Therefore, the polymer fiber of Die 7 is easier to stretch and refine under the blowing of higher temperature and higher airflow speed in the main drawing zone, and the diameter of the fiber can be greatly reduced.

3.5.3 Turbulence intensity along the centerline of the dies

Figure 16 displays the turbulence intensity distribution of ordinary die and new melt-blowing die with airflow multi-channel along the spinning centerline. The turbulence intensity curve also has an analogous tendency. Near spinneret hole of the die, the turbulence intensity of the three dies increases sharply and reaches the peak value in a small distance, followed by a rapid decline, and then decreases slowly. The peak turbulence intensity of Die 7 is the smallest, which is only half of that of Die 0. The smaller the turbulence intensity is, the calmer the melt-blowing airflow is, the more stable the fiber movement is. The turbulence intensity near the spinneret hole of Die 7 is the smallest, which can prevent the polymer melt from adhering to the surface of the die, which reduces the fracture rate of the fiber. The quality of the refined fiber of Die 7 is superior to that of the ordinary die. Combined with the speed curve of Figure 13b, this is because the airflow of the arc spinneret and the second airflow channel effectively hinders the interaction between the airflow and the gas in the backblowing area, weakens the adverse effect of the backblowing phenomenon, and makes the airflow of Die 7 in the backblowing area more stable.

Figure 16 Turbulence intensity distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline.
Figure 16

Turbulence intensity distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline.

Therefore, Die 7 has smaller reverse speed and lower turbulence intensity near the spinneret hole of the die, which can effectively reduce the influence of speed fluctuation near the spinneret hole of the die on the fiber, effectively avoid the phenomenon of polymer melt adhesion blocking to the spinneret hole, and effectively block the adhesion between adjacent fibers.

3.5.4 Pressure along the centerline of the dies

Evidently, pressure in the airflow field is a very important factor that affecting the properties and diameter of the fiber. The bigger airflow pressure value can force to the face of the fiber to influence the shape and area of the fiber cross section and then effect the fiber decline level. The change of the cross-sectional shape will directly affect the joint region between the airflow and the melt-blowing fiber. The bigger the joint region, the heavier the obstruction of the fiber, which is more favorable to fiber stretching and thinning. Figure 17 displays the airflow pressure curve along the spinning centerline of the ordinary die and the new melt-blowing die with airflow multi-channel. The pressure curve on the spinning centerline of all dies shows the same trend. Near the die, the airflow pressure rises rapidly to reach the peak pressure and then drops rapidly, and the airflow pressure at the distance from the die about 5 mm drops to close to atmospheric pressure. The peak pressure of Die 0 is the smallest, and that of Die 7 is the biggest. The pressure characteristic of Die 7 is the best in the whole fiber refinement path. Anyway, the higher pressure difference of Die 7 can produce forced extrusion on the polymer surface, accelerate the degree of fiber refinement, facilitate the fiber extension and attenuation, and obtain finer melt-blowing fibers. Therefore, Die 7 has an obvious advantage over Die 0 in airflow pressure.

Figure 17 Pressure distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline.
Figure 17

Pressure distribution of different dies along the spinning centerline.

3.6 Fiber diameter prediction

According to the results of the airflow field situation of the dies obtained above, variation rule of the fiber diameter along the spinning centerline can be accurately predicted via using the one-dimensional mathematical model of melt-blowing fiber. One-D mathematical model of melt-blowing fiber tension was proposed by Uyttendaele and Shambaugh (35). The mathematical model lists the differential equations, which is explained via adopting the fourth-order Runge-Kutta formula, and the results of the airflow field are brought into the differential equations for numerical solution. The relevant parameters used in the numerical solution of the fiber diameter for melt-blowing airflow multi-channel die and ordinary die were set as follows: the polymer mass flow rate is 0.72 g·min−1, the starting temperature of polymer is 270℃, and its starting diameter is 0.3 mm. The data of the melt-blowing airflow field and the structure sizes are obtained from the previous analysis.

Figure 18 shows that the refinement curve of the fiber diameter along the spinning centerline for Die 7 and Die 0, and the change tendency of the two curves, is basically similar. The melted polymer is ejected from the spinneret hole to form a melt-blowing fiber bundle, which is rapidly stretched and refined under the action of the airflow with high temperature and high speed, and the fiber diameter decreases rapidly within a little distance close to the spinneret hole. Subsequently, with the fiber of the initial refinement depart from the spinneret, the fiber refinement did not stop, but the extent of fiber re-stretching gradually slowed down, the diameter of the fiber could still be thinned slowly. Within the limited distance of the spinning centerline, after the fiber of the ordinary die is refined to a certain extent, the fiber diameter almost does not change, while the fiber of Die 7 still has a tendency to continue to refine. Therefore, compared with the ordinary die, Die 7 has a greater dragging force on the fiber, the degree of fiber refinement has been greatly improved, and finer melt-blowing fibers can be obtained. This result is easy to understand and accept, because the Die 7 mentioned above shows better performance advantages than other dies in terms of speed, temperature, turbulence intensity, and pressure.

Figure 18 Fiber diameter distribution of Die 0 and Die 7.
Figure 18

Fiber diameter distribution of Die 0 and Die 7.

4 Conclusions

In this work, a new melt-blowing die with multi-channel structure and arc spinneret structure was designed. The airflow field characteristics of several melt-blowing dies were simulated using the standard k–ɛ turbulence model in CFD. The changes of speed and temperature along the spinning centerline of a series of dies were analyzed, and the distribution rules of speed, temperature, turbulence intensity, and static pressure of the ordinary die and the optimal die along the spinning centerline were analyzed and compared.

The comparative analysis of a series of dies, the second airflow channel, and the main airflow channel of the new melt-blowing die should be close to each other at the exit, and the angle between the outlet line of the second airflow channel and the bottom of the gas plate is 45° for the new die. The contraction angle of the two airflow channels of the new die should be 15°, and the inclination angle of the second airflow channel of the new die should be 35°. Results display that in contrast with the ordinary die, the new die with melt-blowing airflow multi-channel can greatly improve the average speed and peak speed along the spinning centerline. In the main stretching zone along the spinning centerline, the average speed of the new die is increased by 89.8% and the peak speed is increased by 50.4%. The larger speed value of the new die can be maintained for a long distance, which can further improve the refinement ability of the fiber. The new melt-blowing die has a higher airflow temperature than the ordinary die, which improves the softening degree and melting fluidity of the polymer, which is beneficial to the fiber stretching. The new die has less turbulence intensity and reverse speed, the airflow near the spinneret hole is more stable, and the fiber disturbance and adhesion are reduced. The new die has large pressure difference and peak pressure, which can result in forced extrusion on the polymer surface and accelerate the fiber refinement and attenuation.

Therefore, the new melt-blowing die with multi-channel has higher average speed and peak speed, higher airflow temperature, smaller turbulence intensity, smaller backblowing phenomenon, and larger peak pressure. Compared with ordinary die, the new die is conducive to the extension and refinement of melt-blowing fibers and the production of more nanofibers with excellent properties, which is a better choice in manufacturing process of polymer fibers.

  1. Funding information: The authors state no funding involved.

  2. Author contributions: Dongjun Guo: investigation, methodology, formal analysis, writing – original draft. Zhisong Zhu: visualization, investigation, writing – review and editing, supervision. Jie Yuan: methodology, investigation, writing – review and editing.

  3. Conflict of interest: The authors state no conflict of interest.

  4. Data availability statement: All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article.

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Received: 2023-08-17
Revised: 2023-10-22
Accepted: 2023-11-09
Published Online: 2023-12-26

© 2023 the author(s), published by De Gruyter

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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https://doi.org/10.1515/epoly-2023-0126
Keywords for this article
melt-blowing; airflow channel; polymer fiber; processing; airflow field
Creative Commons
BY 4.0

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  64. Enhanced apoptotic activity of Pluronic F127 polymer-encapsulated chlorogenic acid nanoparticles through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in liver cancer cells and in vivo toxicity studies in zebrafish
  65. Preparation and performance of silicone-modified 3D printing photosensitive materials
  66. A novel fabrication method of slippery lubricant-infused porous surface by thiol-ene click chemistry reaction for anti-fouling and anti-corrosion applications
  67. Development of polymeric IPN hydrogels by free radical polymerization technique for extended release of letrozole: Characterization and toxicity evaluation
  68. Tribological characterization of sponge gourd outer skin fiber-reinforced epoxy composite with Tamarindus indica seed filler addition using the Box–Behnken method
  69. Stereocomplex PLLA–PBAT copolymer and its composites with multi-walled carbon nanotubes for electrostatic dissipative application
  70. Enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of Krestin–chitosan nanocomplex for cancer medication via activation of the mitochondrial intrinsic pathway
  71. Variation in tungsten(vi) oxide particle size for enhancing the radiation shielding ability of silicone rubber composites
  72. Damage accumulation and failure mechanism of glass/epoxy composite laminates subjected to repeated low velocity impacts
  73. Gamma-ray shielding analysis using the experimental measurements for copper(ii) sulfate-doped polyepoxide resins
  74. Numerical simulation into influence of airflow channel quantities on melt-blowing airflow field in processing of polymer fiber
  75. Cellulose acetate oleate-reinforced poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) composite materials
  76. Radiation shielding capability and exposure buildup factor of cerium(iv) oxide-reinforced polyester resins
  77. Recyclable polytriazole resins with high performance based on Diels-Alder dynamic covalent crosslinking
  78. Adsorption and recovery of Cr(vi) from wastewater by Chitosan–Urushiol composite nanofiber membrane
  79. Comprehensive performance evaluation based on electromagnetic shielding properties of the weft-knitted fabrics made by stainless steel/cotton blended yarn
  80. Review Articles
  81. Preparation and application of natural protein polymer-based Pickering emulsions
  82. Wood-derived high-performance cellulose structural materials
  83. Flammability properties of polymers and polymer composites combined with ionic liquids
  84. Polymer-based nanocarriers for biomedical and environmental applications
  85. A review on semi-crystalline polymer bead foams from stirring autoclave: Processing and properties
  86. Rapid Communication
  87. Preparation and characterization of magnetic microgels with linear thermosensitivity over a wide temperature range
  88. Special Issue: Biodegradable and bio-based polymers: Green approaches (Guest Editors: Kumaran Subramanian, A. Wilson Santhosh Kumar, and Venkatajothi Ramarao)
  89. Synthesis and characterization of proton-conducting membranes based on bacterial cellulose and human nail keratin
  90. Fatigue behaviour of Kevlar/carbon/basalt fibre-reinforced SiC nanofiller particulate hybrid epoxy composite
  91. Effect of citric acid on thermal, phase morphological, and mechanical properties of poly(l-lactide)-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(l-lactide)/thermoplastic starch blends
  92. Dose-dependent cytotoxicity against lung cancer cells via green synthesized ZnFe2O4/cellulose nanocomposites
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