Single-Screw Extruders

Single-Screw Extruders and Barrier Screws1

Peter Fischer, Johannes Wortberg

Extended version of a paper presented at the VDI conference on "The Single Screw Extruder Basics and
System Optimization", published by VDI-Verlag Dsseldorf, 1997 Kunststofftechnik

provided the conveying stability

is adequate. This applies in

development of the grooved

bush principle.

extruders

particular to applications in
which fluctuating proportions of

Extruders with grooved bushes

were initially operated with the

In
the
USA,
extruder
development was - and still is -

recycled or regrind material

have a disruptive influence on

conventionally flighted threesection screws commonly used

largely
characterized
by
machines with smooth barrels.
Further development has tended
to concentrate more on the
screws than anything else, with
so-called 'barrier screws'
screws in which the solid
material is kept separate from

the
normal
characteristics of

in Europe. To have better

control of the melt temperatures,
vented screws were later
developed, and, to improve the
melt
homogeneity,
were
subsequently equipped with
shearing/mixing sections [2].
One
problem
nevertheless
remained: very high pressures
at the end of the feed section
and, as a result, considerable
wear and tear on the screw and
barrel.

The
development
of
single-screw plastificating

the melt in the melting section

at the center of attention.
Although the first barrier screw
was actually invented in Europe
in 1959 by Maillefer, most of the
further development work and
the practical application of this
principle took place in the USA.
The first USA patent was not
applied for until 1961 by Geyer
from Uniroyal [1].
Even
today,
smooth-bore
extruders with barrier screws are
superior to grooved barrel
extruders for many applications,

conveying
the solid

material.
In
such
cases,
extrusion is likely to be more
stable with a smooth-bore
extruder.
In Europe, the development of
extruders with heat-separated
grooved bushes in the feed
section began at the end of the
fifties and beginning of the
sixties. Grooves in the barrels to
increase barrel friction and
assist conveying of the solid
material had been tried out long
before
then.
They
were,
however, not enough to process
the newer high-molecular weight
HDPEs in powder and grit form.
This
specifically
European
phenomenon
on the raw
materials side has come from
the systematic analysis and
a=
b=
c=
d=
e=
f=
g=
h=
i=
k=
l=

m=

Fig. 1: Development of extruder screws in the USA and Europe

3-zone compression screw

Uniroyal screw
Maillefer screw
compression screw with
UCC(Maddock) mixer
compression screw with
pin mixer
barrier screw
barrier screw with UCC
(Maddock) mixer
5-zone decompression screw
with shearing/mixing device
compression screw
with pin mixer
no-compression screw with/
shearing/mixing device
barrier screw with
shearing/mixing device
high-output barrier screw
with shearing/mixing section

The development of extruder

technology is basically reflected
in the development of the
screws . For thirty years,
development teams went their
different ways in the USA and
Europe until, at the beginning of
the nineties also due to
increasing globalization the
directions
of
development
began to converge again.
Combining the grooved bush
principle with barrier screws is
the logical step to optimize
extrusion technology [3].
Screw
designs
selection criteria

and

As already mentioned, the

choice of a suitable extrusion
system
(conventional
or
grooved
bush
concept)
depends on the particular
application. After all, the
design
of
the
screw
determines the quantitative
and the qualitative properties
of the extrudate. In practice,
different screw lengths have
become
established
for
different applications. For

applications in extrusion blow

molding,
for
example,
relatively short extruders (L:D
= 20:25) are used, whereas
in other applications, such as
film and pipe extrusion,
extruders with longer screws
(L:D 30) are generally
employed. As a result, the
way the total screw length is
divided up into the "feed and
compression" and "melting
and homogenizing" sections
can vary considerably.
First of all, for a specific
application, a decision has to be
taken as to what proportion of
the total screw length should be
reserved for homogenizing the
plastificated melt. This question
can
nowadays
only
be
answered on the basis of
experience or following an
appraisal of the demands made
on the melt quality. Even
specifying the necessary melt
quality can sometimes cause
problems. Complying with an
imprecisely defined melt quality
can
necessitate
not
only
homogenizing elements on the

screw
(dynamic
mixing
sections), but also static mixing
elements.
The various constructions of
homogenizing elements will be
dealt with in more detail later.
While a wide variety of screw
concepts are still in use, current
developments are concentrating
very much on barrier screws.
For this reason, this report will
concentrate on such models
while taking a wider look at the
topic of single-screw extrusion.
Fig. 2 shows schematically the
basic concept of barrier screws
for different lengths of extruders,
with and without barrel venting.
The concept is the same for new
extruders as it is for the
retrofitting of existing machines.
The evaluation of a barrier
plastificating section is generally
carried out by looking at the
differences in the pitch and flight
depths and the design of the
feed section and outlet area of
the barrier flights. Both North
American and European barrier

Fig. 2 Basic concept of barrier screws

screw

developments

have

very large extent, to the principle

of the Dray and Lawrence screw.

plastificating section can be

designed with the melt channel
closed at the rear end or with an
open melt channel. In this case,
even if we assume that

The characteristic features of

these screws are that, through

unmelted material enters the

melt
channel,
complete

elevations in the respective

pitches of the main flight of the
screw and the barrier flight, a
sufficiently wide channel is

plastification is nevertheless
ensured by the end of the

created in the solids channel

this encourages plastificating
and that, through a variable
adjustment of the flight depth

channel. A detailed description

of
different
barrier
screw

profiles, the melt temperature

curve can also be adjusted, with

in [4].

moved in the direction of

designs which conform, to a

the aim being to keep the melt

temperatures
as
low
as
possible. Although barrier screw
designs still exist today with a
solids channel that is not sealed
off, the only way of ensuring
complete melting in the barrier
plastificating section is to use
solids channels with a 'deadend' groove (Fig. 3).
The front of the barrier flight at
the beginning of the barrier

barrier section because of the

long residence time in the melt

concepts,
including
their
characteristic features, is given

For extrusion applications in

which relatively high extrusion
temperatures are required (e.g.
paper coating), the screw
geometries must be modified by
making the flight depths in the
melt-filled sections smaller so
that, due to the higher
dissipation energy, the target
melt temperatures are reached.
This could possibly also be
done by adapting the feed
sections to reduce the specific

Fig. 3: Transition between feed section and barrier section on a double

flighted/paired screw of 150 mm diameter

melt throughputs. Last but not

least, the shearing sections
used for such applications can and must - be dimensioned in
such a way that the necessary
temperature
increase
is
reached.
For other applications, for
example foam extrusion, exactly
the opposite course must be
taken to keep the melt
temperatures as low as possible
after injecting the blowing agent.
Here, the best solution is to
regard the extrusion system as a
highly effective heat exchanger,
and to enhance its effectiveness
through reduced dissipation in
large-dimensioned
screw
channels and through frequent
interface renewal by the screw
flights on the inner wall of the
barrel.

We will now deal with the

influences of the raw material
and the extruder feed section
geometry, which determine the
conveying properties of an
extruder.

Controlled melt temperatures

homogeneity problems.

Minimal change in the

material through degradation

A better solution than a screw

with a stepped pitch or channel

or crosslinking
High level of versatility: ability

Universal screws / high-

to process a broad selection

of raw materials with a wide

output screws

range of throughput rates

For the user, the ideal situation

would be to have a screw on
which as many different plastics
as possible could be processed
at high throughput speeds and
with good melt homogeneity.
Some of the most important
requirements are:
Processability of mixtures
with different sized and
different shaped granules
High
performance

plastificating

Gentle
but
plastification

complete

Low
performance-related
investment and operating
costs
In recent years, so-called
grooved barrel extruders with
barrier screws have proved to
be the most suitable systems
among single-screw machines.
With many grooved barrel
extruders, the pressure build-up
at the end of the feed section is
too high, encouraging wear and
tear and impairing the stability of
the process. This can be
countered by enlarging the pitch
or making the screw channel
deeper, although this involves

Good melt homogeneity

the risk of plastification and

500
PE - HD Hostalen GM 7746
Extruder 50 mm, 28:1 L/D

450
400
pressure [bar]

350
300
250
200
150
100

meltpressure in front of the screw tip

50

meltpressure after grooved feed bush

0
0

50

100

150

200

250

screw speed [rpm]

Fig. 4: Meltpressure in front of the screw tip and after grooved feed bush
(source: KKM)

depth is a barrier screw. At the

beginning
of
the
barrier
plastificating
section,
the
conveying flight changes to a
greater pitch; the beginning of
the barrier flight also has a
higher pitch. The depth of the
channels is adjusted to the
desired conveying and melting
characteristics.
These
two
measures result in a fairly
balanced, low pressure profile,
or even in a pressure build-up
towards the end of the screw
(Fig. 4).
When
assessing
the
"universality" of a screw, the
homogeneity of the melt plays a
dominant
role.
This
is
particularly
true
when
processing mixtures of different
materials, and also with regrind
material,
with
color
masterbatches and with the socalled 'direct extrusion' process
(combining compounding and
extrusion in one step, "in-line").
Barrier screws, too, must be
provided with elements for
homogenizing after the melting
section. Depending on the
requirements
of
the
raw
materials and the demands
made on the product, shearing
sections must be used for
dispersion (for example for color
pigments), and/or distributing
mixing elements must be
provided for axial and transverse
mixing.

Fig. 5: Spiral shearing section and faceted mixing section after a barrier section

with faceted mixing sections

designed to give good flow

renewal of the surfaces and/or

interfaces between the moving
screw elements and the fixed
inner surface of the barrel. A
further influence can be exerted

properties
successful,

have
proved
also for direct

on the temperature of the melt

by taking additional measures,

coloring with a color masterbatch

(Fig. 5).

for example, by fitting a

temperature control system on

In practice, barrier screws with

neutral-pressure,
(multiple)spiral shearing elements and

With homogenizing elements of

this kind, the best way of
maintaining full control of the
general thermal conditions, and
thus of keeping the melt
temperature
closely
under
control, is to ensure that good
heat transfer by convection to
the temperature control system
of the extruder barrel is possible,
both in the area of the spiral
shearing elements and in the
area of the faceted mixing
sections,
through
constant

Homogenizing elements

the inside of the screw (e.g. as a

closed cooling system),
As
regards
extruders
for
universal applications - in other
words, extruders capable of
processing a very wide range of
raw materials, including regrind
(fluctuating
proportions,
recycled material etc.) - a
decision has to be taken in each
individual case whether or not to
use the grooved barrel extrusion
concept. The decision is not
always an easy one to make. If

Barrier
section

the raw material properties

especially the bulk density, flow
properties
and
friction
coefficients are to be
expected, it is probable that
using the grooved bush concept
will
lead
to
excessive
fluctuations in melt throughput
due to the fact that the output
characteristics are governed by
the solids conveying in the feed
section. In such cases a
smooth-bore extrusion system
can or must be used. This is
particularly true for processing
raw materials with a fairly high
shredded
content
and
consequently a low bulk density.
Another possibility is to precompact the shredded material
so that grooved barrel machines
can function perfectly.

plastificating Feed section

Effective separation of solids Melt throughput geared

from melt
to homogenizing capacity
High homogenizing effect
Heat transfer to the barrel
Low pressure level
Good
control
of
melt
temperature
Low pressure loss
Low torque
Clear pressure build-up
Reduced wear and tear

Good dispersive/
distributive mixing effect

Fig. 6: Barrier screw concept with homogenizing elements

excessively large variations in

Fig. 6 summarizes the three

sections and shows the special
characteristics of a barrier screw
with homogenizing elements.
For universal application, use
can generally be made of
screws designed according to
the above concept in lengths of
between 20 and 30 x D. The
feed section consists either of a
shallow-flighted feed section
with subsequent decompression
(grooved bush concept) or a
constantly deep-flighted feed
section (smooth-bore extruder),
followed
by
the
barrier
plastificating section and the
homogenizing sections.The best
solution is first to have
dispersively
acting
mixing
elements, and then distributively
acting elements. Fig. 7 shows
possible and commonly used
constructions.
In recent years, "static-dynamic"
mixer systems with spherical
indentations in a rotor and stator
have become quite popular.

They are marketed under

names
as
CTM,
STAROMIX and 3-DD
Although they have a
mixing action, some of

such
TMR,
[5].
good
them

have
an
inadequate
selfcleaning system and others
have problems with wear and
tear. Apart from this, it is
essential that the melt is 100 %.
Operation

with

barrier

screws
With barrier screws, designed
according to the principle of
Dray and Lawrence screws, the
solids channel has been made
wider. This provides a larger
contact surface area for the
material being melted so as to
introduce energy via the barrel
heating. This means that, with
barrier screws,
process
must

the
be

heating
started

immediately after the material is

fed in. Either a constant
temperature program must be
set over the length of the barrel,
or the temperature must be set

Fig. 7: Executions of shearing and mixing elements (source: KTP)

so that it actually drops from the

feed section to the end of the
barrel.
The temperature at the end of
the barrel is the same as in a
conventional screw, in other
words it is geared to the melt
temperature. In the first heating
zone after the grooved bush, it is
perfectly in order to work at a
temperature which is about 20
30 C higher. In the lower to
medium speed range, the
temperature in the final barrel
section is set at the same level
as the melt temperature.
The temperature at the end of
the barrel is the same as in a
conventional screw, in other
words it is geared to the melt
temperature. In the first heating
zone after the grooved bush, it is
perfectly in order to work at a
temperature which is about 20
30 C higher. In the lower to
medium speed range, the
temperature in the final barrel
section is set at the same level
as the melt temperature.
With low-viscosity melts, or in
cases in which high melt
temperatures
are
required,
correspondingly higher settings
are recommended. It is also
advisable to keep a watch on
the relative periods in which the
heating and cooling units are
switched on (controller output
signals), so as to work in the
medium range of settings (20 ...
80 %). As a rule, this will mean
that the deviations between
target values and actual values
are sufficiently small to ensure
process stability.

and to
capacity.

raise

the

melting

One example at the upper end

of the speed scale involves
retrofitting an existing 150 mm
33 D extruder for working with
MDPE and LDPE for the
sheathing of steel pipes. The
objective in this case was quite
clearly to achieve maximum
possible melt output with high
product homogeneity (specified
in reference samples) and, at
Fig. 8: Temperature program for barrier screws
In practice, it is not difficult to
establish
the
optimum
temperature settings.
Because
of
the
special
characteristics of barrier screws,
it
has
often
proved an
advantage to turn up the heating
output in the first and second
barrel sections, and to increase
the fan or cooling capacity in the
two sections at the end.

maximum melt throughputs in

the specified melt quality. For
this purpose, the combination of
a grooved barrel extruder and a
barrier
screw
with
a
homogenizing
section
is
particularly recommended. With
larger screw diameters, a
double-flighted
or
twin-pair

the same time, to keep the melt

temperatures
as
low
as
possible. In addition, the system
had to have outstanding selfcleaning
and
material
changeover characteristics.

screw system can be used to

improve
the
conveying
properties in the feed section

Practical experience
The broad range of application
of barrier screws for polyolefins
can be seen in Fig. 9. All these
materials were successfully
processed with the same 50
mm/28 D screw with a twinspiral shearing section and a
faceted mixing section on a
grooved barrel extruder. Further
details are contained in one of
the later articles.
High-speed extrusion systems
are generally characterized by
the fact that the system is set up
to suit a limited range of raw
materials, but so as to achieve

Fig. 9: Specific throughput vs. Screw speed (Quelle: KKM)

Fig. 10 gives some examples of

results obtained with and
without a gear pump. Using this
concept, the targets were readily
achieved, which meant that the
installed drive power was almost
completely utilized for the given
range of raw materials. Further
increases in throughput are
conceivable over and above
these figures. However, this
would make it necessary to
adapt the drive unit by raising
the
motor
power
and
proportionally increasing the
screw speed. It also becomes
increasingly important to take
special measures to prevent
excessive
wear
and
tear
because of the greater influence

of the peripheral speeds of the

screw.

into the machine.

The production of fuel tanks is

an impressive example of the
direct recycling of production
scrap. A problem here is that,
with
blow
molding,
comparatively short extruders
are used.
Depending on the shape of the
tank and on other boundary
conditions, between 40 and 60
% flash occurs as scrap at the
production machine. This is
material which was cut off at the
top and bottom of the parison
and from the pinch-off edges of
the blow mould. This material is
directly ground and fed back

Fig. 10: Production data with extruder 150mm/33:1 for steel pipe coating

215

700
Extruder 150 mm / 20 D
PE-HD Lupolen 4261A
with 50 % regrind

Throughput [kg/h]

500

210

205

400
300

200

200

[kg/h]
[C]

195

100

Melt temperature [C]

600

190

0
5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

screw speed [ rpm]

Fig. 11: Production data with extruder 150mm/20:1 for industrial blow moulding
Fig. 11 gives the key operating
data for a grooved barrel
extruder with a diameter of
150 mm/20 D equipped with a
barrier shearing/mixing section
screw for processing highmolecular weight HDPE grit
containing regrind material.
One notable application for
'specialty screws' are vented
extruders, which are used, for
example, in plants producing flat
film and sheets. Because such
machines are being increasingly
combined with melt pumps, the
second stage of the screw only
needs to convey the melt
against the pump pre-pressure
(and possibly against the
resistance of melt filters), but
does not have to overcome the
resistance of the connection,
possibly a static mixing element,
and the die. Consequently,
much higher throughputs can
be achieved, with plastification
and
homogenization
being

10

carried out in the first stage of

the screw.

polystyrene, polycarbonate and

PMMA.

Fig. 12 shows the concept of a

vented screw with a barrier
plastificating section in stage 1,
and a three-zone profile plus
faceted mixing section in stage
2. Such vented screws with
barrier plastification are being
successfully used for e.g.

Fig. 12: barrier screw configuration for vented extruder 90mm/30:1

Extruder

concepts

for

An optimized thermal layout is

mLLDPE.

different plastics / new

high-performance

also essential for the rest of the

barrel. Even though the target is

chemical industry is where this

has not happened already to

materials

to generate as little excess heat

energy as possible via the

make it possible to run mPE on

existing extruders by modifying

screw, it is not possible with

high-speed
extrusion
to

the molecular structure.

For most applications, grooved

barrel extruders with a heat
separation system between the
feed section and the subsequent
barrel have become established
in Europe. As a rule, the feed
bushes are axially grooved and
correspond to the construction
concept shown in Fig. 13.
A good thermal layout - in other
words sufficient and uniform
heat dissipation in the area of
the grooved bush - is of
particular importance. For this
purpose, the cooling channels
and heat transfer resistances
must be optimized. In many
cases, temperature control units
or installations with bypass
control etc. are fitted to create
constant thermal conditions.

dispense with good cooling of

the barrel, at least not in some
sections. Special companies
offer
heating/cooling
combinations for this purpose,
in which a great deal of heat can
be dissipated via aluminum or
copper
elements.
Some
machine manufacturers also
supply customized systems of

The

goal

of

the

One aspect not being examined

here, but nevertheless of
considerable importance, is the
question of how the material
behaves in the dies and after
emerging from the die. With
blown
film
extrusion,
for
example, this would concern the
melt elasticity and the bubble
stability.

this kind. When new materials

come on to the market, the
question
continually
arises
about the most suitable extruder
and whether they
processed
on

can be
existing

machines. This was the case

with LLDPE, and it is now
happening with the metallocene
polyolefins,
for
example

DT

DN

A
L
n = D(mm)/5
DT - DN= ca.4mm
B = 7 - 8mm

H = 3 - 3,5mm
= 7 - 8
L = 3 - 3,5 D

Fig. 13 : Lay-out data for grooved feed sections

11

Fig. 14: Specific throughput vs. Screw speed for grooved feed extruder 80 mm/30:1
(source: Reifenhuser [6])
Basically, it can be said that
mPE can also be run on
extruders used for processing
LLDPE. This applies both to
grooved barrel machines and
smooth-bore
extruders
[6].
However, because of the
specific material properties,
there is a difference in the
throughput rates (Fig. 14) which,
in turn, leads to differences in
melt temperature (Fig. 15) and
outputs. On the other hand, this
phenomenon is not specific to
metallocene.
One of the most important
factors
concerning
the
conveying properties in the feed
section is evidently not the free
flowing characteristics or the low
degree of hardness of the
granules. In fact, the large
influence of lubricants as can
be seen in Fig. 16 indicates
that friction on the surface of the
screw plays a major role,

12

something which has also been

encountered
with
"normal"
polyolefins (cf. Fig. 9). One way
of
countering
the
poor
conveying characteristics of the
solid material is to add a
lubricant or material containing a

friction by cooling the screw,

coating the surface etc.

lubricant. Another possibility,

this time on the machine side, is
to reduce the coefficient of

Fig. 15: Melt temperature vs. Screw speed (source: KKM)

EXCEED in Blends

Effect of slip in the LDPE blend component on specific output

on grooved barrelextruders
3.4

Slip additivated LDPE as blend partner gives 10 - 20 % higher specific

versus no slip in the LDPE

kg/rpm/h

3.2
3

Increase: 10 %

15 %

20 %

2.8
2.6
2.4

EXCEED
+5%
LDPE

1MI /
0.918D

1MI /
0.918D

+5%

2.2
2

LDPE
no slip

EXCEED
EXCEED

with
slip

80mm
24 L/D
grooved

+5%
LDPE

1MI /
0.918D

+ 10 %

+ 20 %

+ 30 %

LDPE

LDPE

LDPE

with
slip

with slip

80mm
30 L/D
grooved

75mm
25 L/D
grooved

Fig 16: Influence of slip agent on specific throughput with mPE (source: EXXON [7])
For engineering plastics (i.e.
polyamides,
polyesters,
polyurethanes or thermoplastic
elastomers), use is nowadays
predominantly made of smoothbore extruders. This is due not
only to "tradition", but also to the
predominantly low throughputs
involved. Plastics of this kind
can,
however,
also
be
processed without problem on
grooved barrel extruders, as is
shown in [8]. For blow molding
with PA6, a grooved bush/screw
concept similar to the one used
for PE has given good results
[9].
Grooved feed sections are also
being increasingly used in
extruders with a barrel venting
system. The grooves with a
semi-circular, sickle, saw-tooth
or rectangular cross-section
are either cut in the one-part
barrel, or a normal grooved
bush concept is used. This
means that the construction of

vented extruders is currently in a

process of change, as was
already explained with
barrier vented screws.

the

Direct compounding in the

extruder
This term is used to explain the
combination of compounding
and extruding in one step. The
process, which aims primarily to
cut down costs, is still in its
infancy, despite all the efforts
being
made
by
machine
manufacturers
and
plastics
producers. For processing, use
is made primarily of co-rotating
twin-screw extruders, which offer
far more possibilities in terms of
process technology. They can,
for example, be used for
incorporating
fillers
and
reinforcing agents, for blending
different
polymers
or
for
simultaneously carrying out
reactions
(reactive
treatment/extrusion).

There has, however, been no

lack of attempts to also use
single-screw
extruders
for
compounding or for the socalled in-line extrusion. Systems
of this kind are repeatedly
shown and marketed. The
possibilities and limitations are
obvious.
One special kind of in-line
extrusion is the blow molding of
tubular film from mixed film
waste (DSD fraction). After a
temporary phase of euphoria,
normality
has,
however,
returned. Apart from technical
problems
with
individual
components of the plant and the
doubts about the product
quality, it has been found that
the cost structure is also
negative over the long term.

13

Despite all the progress being

almost

"boundless".

made to adapt extruders and

extrusion
lines
to
the

shown elsewhere.

requirements
of
waste
processing, it must be said that

Retrofitting
the system

the production of extruded

quality products using recyclate

Whenever

is limited. Not so much because

of the machine and processing
technologies, but more because
of the products and the
specified quality. For the time
being, in extrusion, the recycling
of production scrap will continue
to have priority over the
processing
recyclate.

of

post-consumer

to

funds

This

is

optimize

for

capital

expenditures become short, the

purchase of new machines
tends to be put back or
eliminated completely. In such
circumstances, optimizing the
existing system can be a help.
Where there is a need to modify
existing extrusion lines to cope
with a higher output and/or
improved melt quality, a modern
screw concept can be adapted
to the given circumstances.

Possible applications and

limitations
At this point, it should be said
that the possible range of
applications for grooved barrel
extruders with barrier screws is

When making a modification of

this kind, it first has to be borne
in mind that the machine in
question is of a given length
(e.g. frequently between 20 and
25 x D), which can not be

changed, and that it has an

existing
drive
unit.
This
sometimes leads to restrictions
as far as the attainable specific
melt throughput is concerned,
due to bottlenecks with the
torque of the screw drive unit.
The torque results from the
installed motor power and the
installed gear reduction. In some
cases, the gear reduction can
be adapted so that a higher
drive torque is produced on the
screw shank. Since there is a
directly proportional relationship
between the specific output and
the screw drive torque, it is
possible in such cases to
achieve an increase in the
specific melt throughput equal
to the increase in torque.
Fig. 17 gives an example of a
successful retrofit.

Fig. 17: Production data with grooved feed extruder 60mm/24:1 after installing a barrier mixing screw
(source: Kuhne)

14

Protecting the screw and

increasing use of barrels that

barrel against wear and

tear

have been given a centrifuged,

wear-resistant and, if needed,

One
important
concerned
with

aspect
protection

against wear and tear has been

discussed already, namely wearreducing screw geometries.
Quite astonishing results can be
obtained by harmonizing the
conveying characteristics and
the pressure build-up, and by
optimizing the melting process
from time to time in conjunction
with a multiple flight design.
With grooved barrel extruders,
for example, through optimized
harmonization of the system
(adapting the feed section
geometry to the downstream
sections and vice versa),
grooved bushes made of nitride
steel can be used instead of
hard metal or PM-HIP material
(see below), because of the
much lower pressures involved.
On the other hand, new plastics
- in some cases necessitating
higher processing temperatures
- fillers and reinforcing agents or
pigments, higher peripheral
velocities of the screw etc. etc.
are resulting in higher and
higher stresses. They can only
be countered by taking special
measures to increase the
protection against wear and
tear, as is state-of-the-art already
in injection molding [10].
In the USA, so-called bimetal
barrels have been used in
extruders for years and years. In
Europe, too, instead of the
conventional
nitride
steel
barrels, processors are making

corrosion-resistant
armored
layer. Apart from the fact that
this approx. 1.5 2 mm thick
coat can be adapted to suit the
particular type of stress, it also
offers, with its
consistent
properties, a certain "reserve" of
wear and tear, even if the
process engineering parameters
are not quite right.
For small and medium-sized
wear-protected screws (up to
approx. 50 mm), fully hardened
tool steel is used, particularly
cold work steel X 155 CrVmO
12.1 (DIN 1.2379). To achieve a
(limited) corrosion resistance,
frequent use is made of
rustproof, acid-resistant 17 %
chrome steel X 35 CrMo17 (DIN
1.4122).
By
ionitriding
to
increase the surface hardness,
however, this material loses
some of its corrosion resistance.
For
very
high
corrosion
protection, it is preferable to
choose special materials, e.g.
Inconel 625.
With larger screws, it is common
to armor-plate the screw flights,
which are particularly prone to
wear and tear. This involves
using the tungsten inert gas arc
welding or the plasma-powder
application
(PPA)
welding
method. The most popular
materials for this are nitride
steel, 30 CrMoV9 (DIN 1.8519)
and 14 CrMoV6.9 (DIN 1.7735),
or chrome steel X 35 CrMo17
(DIN 1.4122). Hard alloys such
as Stellite 12, Colmonoy 50,
Colmonoy 56, Colmonoy 83 etc.

are also used for armor-plating.

The screw root surface and
flanks can also be protected by
nitriding, by a hard chrome layer
or by armor-plating.
Hot isostatic pressed materials
(HIP) [10, 11] produced by
powder metallurgy are gaining
increasing importance. Both
"natural hard" and hardenable
alloys are used. The materials
can be produced either as
homogeneous systems or as
composite systems, in the latter
case, either in conjunction with
steel, e.g. as the core with an
external hard shell for screws or
screw elements, or as a
composite of the hard alloy
powder with
substances.

inserted

hard

The PM-HIP materials have the

advantage
that
a
fine,
homogeneous and pore-free
structure is formed, which is
much
preferable
conventionally

to
the
produced

materials. The wear-inhibiting

hard phases (usually carbides)
are also distributed more finely
and evenly in the fine-grain
structure, which means that less
surface area is open to attack in
the matrix. The components can
be equipped specifically to cope
with the expected stresses.
Hardness values of up to 72
HRC can be attained. Fig. 18
shows the overall properties and
behavior of PM-HIP materials.

15

With materials examined on a

universal disk tribometer, it was
found that the relative wear

exception rather than the rule.

The higher the demands made
on the plastics and their

decreases significantly with an

increasing
proportion
of

additives, the more popular the

new systems will become, also

vanadium carbide.

for these machines.

If we look at the market as a

whole, solutions in which PMHIP materials are used in singlescrew extruders are still the

Rel. Wear

5
4
3

Rel. Volumetric wear

2
1
0
0

10

20

30

40

Vol.-% VC
Material
X 220 CrVMoW 20 4
X 250 CrVMoW 22 6
X 260 CrVMo 26 4
X 270 CrVMoW 17 9
X 310 CrVMoW 15 10
X 340 VCrWMo 13 13
X 350 VCrMoW 13 9
X 380 VCrWMo 17 13
X 410 VCrWMo 17 14
X 450 VCrWMo 18 13
X 500 VCrWMo 20 13

Element [Gew.- %]
C
Cr
V
2,2
20
4,1
2,5
21,6
6
2,6
26
4
2,7
17
9
3,1
15,2
10,3
3,4
12,8
13,3
3,5
8,5
13
3,8
12,5
17
4,1
14
17
4,5
13
18
5
13
19,5

Fig 18: Relative abrasive wear of PM-HIP materials

dependent from VC content (source: Reiloy)

16

VC [Vol.- %]
6,9
10,3
6,2
15,7
18
23,4
22,8
29,7
29,5
31,1
33,4

References
[1]

Rauwendaal, C.: Polymer Extrusion. Mnchen: Carl Hanser Verlag 1990

[2]

Fischer P.: Stand der Einschneckenextruder in Europa. Kunststoffberater (1984) 4, S. 2023

[3]

Fischer, P., Wortberg, J.: Hochleistungs- und Unversal-Schnecken fr die Extrusion.

Plastics No. One 8/95, S. 21-27

[4]

Wortberg, J.: Schneckenkonzepte fr die Hochleistungsextrusion - Barriereschnecken. In

Einschneckenextruder

Grundlagen

und

Systemoptimierung.

Reihe

Kunststofftechnik. Dsseldorf: VDI-Verlag 1991, S. 107-139

[5]

Bos, H. L., Meijer H. E. H.: Mischen und Kneten im Einschneckenextruder. In

Einschneckenextruder

Grundlagen

und

Systemoptimierung.

Reihe

Kunststofftechnik. Dsseldorf: VDI-Verlag 1991, S. 25-58

[6]

Schrter, B.: Processing of Metallocene PE (mPE) on Blown Film Lines. METALLOCENES

EUROPE 97, S. 353-373

[7]

EXCEED POLYETHYLENE, Film Processing Facts. Firmenschrift EXXON CHEMICAL

EUROPE, Brssel 1996

[8]

Michels, R., Wortberg, J.: Innovative Entwicklungen bei Einschneckenextrudern. In Der

Einschneckenextruder. Reihe Kunststofftechnik. Dsseldorf: VDI-Verlag 1997

[9]

Vlkel, M.: Eigenschaften und Anwendungen von verstrkten und

Polyamiden.

In

Blasformen

97

Innovationen

und

unverstrkten

Perspektiven.

Reihe

Kunststofftechnik. Dsseldorf: VDI-Verlag 1997, S. 217-233

[10]

Llsdorf,

P.:

40

Jahre

Verschleischutz

fr

Schnecken

und

Zylinder

in

Spritzgiemaschinen. Vortrag auf dem KKM / IKM - Fachkolloquium Spritzgietechnik,

Essen 26.01.96
[11]

Deppe, E.: Verschleischutzmanahmen an Schnecken und Zylindern in Extrudern und

Spritzgiemaschinen. Vortrag auf dem VDI - Seminar Technischer Oberflchenschutz,
Dsseldorf 19. und 20.06.97

17