Experiment

The experimental parts of this study were published in our previous paper on the measurements of the degree of fill27. The materials and apparatus were the same as those used in that study. The measurements of the pressure and temperature of the resin are explained in detail below.

Materials

Homo polypropylene (F-704NP) was supplied by Prime Polymer (Japan). The melt flow rate was 7.0 g/10 min, as measured according to the ISO 1133:97 standard (catalog value). The oscillation shear viscosity (complex viscosity) was measured using a modular compact rheometer (MCR 302-WESP, Anton-Paar, Austria) with a diameter of 25 mm and a 1-mm-thick parallel plate fixture. The oscillation range was 0.03 to 100 rad/s. The strain was 1.0%. The temperature control units were a P-PTD200 and an H-PTD200. The temperatures used were 180, 190, and 200 °C. Based on the Cox–Merz rule for a linear polymer, the complex viscosity was used to obtain the parameters for the Cross model described by Eqs. (30) and (31), as listed in Table 1. The complex viscosity data and associated curves of the Cross model are shown in Figure 3.