SIMULATION OF

ROTATIONAL MOLDING

Abbas TCHARKHTCHI
 INTRODUCTION
Non-reactive rotational molding

Reactive rotational molding

 NON-REACTIVE ROTATIONAL MOLDING

There are not any chemical reactions during rotomolding.

The transformation is based essentially on physical state changes

The polymer is as powder (100-500µm)

heating cooling
Solid molten Solid
state

Examples: thermoplastics (PE, PP, PA, PC,…)

 REACTIVE ROTATIONAL MOLDING

• There are chemical reaction during this processing .

Chemical reactions
Liquid Solid

or

heating chemical reactions

Solid liquid Solid

• Examples: Thermosets, rubbers, polymerization of certain polymers

(PA6) chemical modification of certain polymers,
 DIFFERENT STEPS OF SIMULATION

Non-reactive
Reactive rotational molding
rotational molding
- flow of particles (powder) ?
- Chemical reactions (cross- -Sintering
linking, polymerization) - Melting
- Rheology - Rheology
- Flow of liquid mixture - Flow of melted (viscous)
polymer
- Solidification (crystallization)

Heat transfer
 CYCLE TIME

200
T (°C) C
150

D
100 B
A E
F
50
I II III IV V time (min)

10 20 30 40
solid
Molten polymer
solid

solid+molten polymer solid+molten polymer

HEAT TRANSFER
 HEAT TRANSFER
Heating
Oven mold Polymer
air + powder
molten+solid

1. Convection air of oven / metallic surface of the mold

2. Conduction in the thickness of the mold
3. Transmission mold / polymer
4. Conduction in the thickness of the molten polymer layer
5. Convection polymer / mixture of air and powder
 HEAT TRANSFER
1 - Convection air of oven / metallic surface of the mold
 ∂T 
− km   = hov / m (Tov − T )
 ∂x 
2 - Conduction in the thickness of the mold
ρm Cpm 
∂T  ∂  ∂T 
 =  km
∂x 
 ∂t  ∂x 

3 - Transmission mold / polymer  ∂T   ∂T 

− km   = − k p 
 ∂x   ∂x 

4 - Conduction in the thickness of the molten polymer layer

 ∂T  ∂  ∂T 
ρ P C PP   + ∆H =  k P 
 ∂t  ∂x  ∂x 

5 - Convection polymer / mixture of air and powder

 ∂T 
− kp  = h pa (T pa − T )
 ∂x 
 RESULTS

Evolutions de Ta pour les trois conditions opératoires choisies.

Comparaison des courbes expérimentales et numériques
(Tfour = 300 °C, tchauffe = 20, 25 et 30 min).
 REACTIVE
ROTATIONAL MOLDING
 REACTIVE ROTATIONAL MOLDING
Rheochemistry and rheokinetic of thermosets during rotational
molding

Chemistry Rheology Fluid Mechanic

- Cross-linking mechanism - Evolution of viscosity - Fluid flow models

- Kinetic models - Rhelogical models - Finite elements and SPH

Heat transfer

Experimental methods, DSC, IR spectrophotometry, Rheometry

 REACTIVE ROTATIONAL MOLDING

Cross-linking reaction
d [E ]
−
dt
= [ E ] 0 [ A ] 0 1 − x × k '+ k ([OH
( )2
( ]0 + x[ E ] 0 ) + k " [ HX ] )

1 500

0,9 450 taux de conversion 130°C

0,8 400 taux de conversion 140°C

0,7 350 taux de conversion 140°C

Rheology 0,6 300 Taux de conversion therorique

point de gel à 150°C

Viscosité Pa.s
0,5 250
taux de conversion

A + Bα Point de gel à 140°C

η  x* 
0,4 200

Point de gel à 130°C

=  * 
0,3 150

viscosité à 130°C 1Hz

0,2 100

η0  x − x  0,1 50
viscositéà 140°C 1Hz

Viscosité à 150°C 1Hz

0 0

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

temps /min
 SIMULATION (SPH METHOD)
SPH is a Lagragian method for simulation of fluid flow. In this method the
material at macroscopic scale is considered as a group of particles of masse
mi, rate vi avec other properties like pressure, pi, temperature, Ti, internal
energy Ui, entropy Si,…
• Central function

• Smoothing length
• Conservation of
quantity of mouvement
• Conservation
of energy
• Equation of state
• Density

• Schema of integration
 SIMULATION OF FLUID FLOW

A cylinrical mold turning aroude its principal axis

SIMULATION OF FLUID FLOW

A part with more complex geometry

SIMULATION OF FLUID FLOW

Cubic mold in rotomolding condition

 NON-REACTIVE
ROTATIONAL MOLDING
FORMATION OF DIFFERENT LAYERS
Melting + Coalescence

Layer by Layer

Particle (polymer) Molten Polymer

moule moule

1st layer 2nd layer

moule moule

3th layer 4th layer

 FORMATION OF THE FIRST LAYER

The following schema shows the mechanism of melting of

a particle and its adhesion on the internal surface of the
mold.

mg mg mg
Surface
Of the mold

The particles fall on the bottom of the mold, will be melted

progressively and spread on the internal surface. This
spreading depends on the force of gravity and the surface
tension.
 FORMATION OF THE FIRST LAYER

γ F

mg mg

The shear force induced by the On the superior part of the mold,
weight of particle assures the the surface tension spreads the
adhesion between melted particle melted polymer on the surface
and the surface of the mold.
 NON-REACTIVE ROTATIONAL MOLDING

- Flow of particles (powder) ?

-Sintering (coalescence + densification)

Polymer
support
X
1 2 and 3 4
1 2

3 4
Different steps of coalescence de grains
1) initial state t
2 and 3) growth
4) final state
 DIFFERENT MODELS

2
- Frenkel x 3  γ  x
r

2  η 
= t
r

n
- Kuckzynski  x2  Coalescence of 2
 1 , 02  = K (T )t particules
 r 

1/ 2
- Eshely X  γt
= 


a  ηa0 

 
 
- Lontz x
2
3 λ 
=   t
r 2  −
t

 τ 
 η0 1 − e 
  
 Example: PVDF

- Under optical microscope

T = ambiante T = 172,8 °C t = 20 s t = 40 s t = 60 s

t = 80 s t = 100 s t = 120 s t = 140 s t =160 s

Example: PVDF

1 2 3
 NON-REACTIVE ROTATIONAL MOLDING

- Melting

- Rheology

- Flow of molten (viscous) polymer

- Solidification (crystallization)
 CONCLUSION
Reactive rotational molding

Reactive rotational molding

Chemical reactions Heat transfer Rheology

Kinetic model η=f(t)
T=f(t)

η=f(x) X: degree of conversion

fluid flow model

 CONCLUSION
Non-reactive rotational molding
Non-reactive rotational molding

Coalescence Heat transfer Melting

Kinetic model
T=f(t)
X: degree of conversion

Formation of
layers

Densification Rheology
fluid flow model

Cooling

Solidification
crystallization