Specifically, Professor Giacomin's group is now exploring how wall slip affects extrusion flow instabilities. These matter because they govern the maximum throughput in extrusion. Here, Giacomin's group aims to explain the mysterious build-up of unwanted material on the open faces of extrusion dies. Die drool affects how often extrusion lines must be shut-down for die cleaning. Giacomin's group uses real-time neutron radiography to visualize flow in injection molding.
Plastic pipe solidifies slowly when extruded.
The melt thus flows under its own weight. Called sag, this is why plastic tubes have imperfect shapes. Giacomin's group models pipe sag and other aspects of pipe extrusion. Giacomin is writing a book on plastic pipe. Professor Giacomin has published more than 45 journal articles on blow molding, pipe extrusion, wire coating, sheet coating, cellulose fiber filled materials, ultrasonic property measurement, sliding plate rheometry and on the nonlinear viscoelasticity of molten plastics and cheese.