A Numerical Model for Edge Effect Correction of the Mooney Rheometer
Abstract The flow of a power law fluid within the cavity of a multi-speed Mooney rheometer is studied by means of finite difference techniques with the aim of quantifying the edge effects that occur in the vicinity of the rotor corner. As expected, a significant concentration of shear stress occurs near the rotor edge. As the power law index varies, significant stagnation zones are found within the cavity, which combined with thin-shearing behavior near the moving surfaces, yield complex shear rate distributions. However, when torque is calculated, the edge effect can be described by a factor which is numerically very similar to a factor obtained from one-dimensional models described in the literature. Comparison of theoretical predictions and experimental data was found to be satisfactory.