Nonisothermal parison inflation in blow molding

Abstract

Abstract Nonisothermal inflation of a viscous annular parison and its cooling and solidification before and upon wall contact are analyzed by solving the unsteady momentum and energy conservation equations. The algorithm simultaneously determines the flow field and temperature distribution within the parison together with the moving surfaces at every time step. Results of the present study indicate that the inflation rate is increased as a result of higher temperature within the parison. However, the instantaneous shape of the parison and the final thickness variation upon mold contact remain virtually unchanged. Due to the temperature dependence of physical properties, the critical factor during inflation is initial temperature distribution within the parison. Inflation resulting in full attachment to a confining mold wall takes only a small fraction of the time required to cool the material to the ambient gas temperature. The transient calculations illustrate how computer simulations may be used to improve design of blow molding operations, and they are in good agreement with available experiments.