Rheology of polymer blends: non-linear model for viscoelastic emulsions undergoing high deformation flows

Non-linear rheology of a mixture of two viscoelastic immiscible liquids und ergoing high deformation flow was considered. Using Grmela's formalism (Grm ela 1986, 1989, 1993a, b) and the coarse grained picture given by Onuki (19 87) and Doi and Ohta (1991), we have derived a set of highly nonlinear time -dependent transport equations that take into account a direct coupling bet ween the rheology and morphology. Breakup, coalescence, and the high deform ation of the interface were considered. Models of Doi and Ohta (1991), Lee and Park (1994), and Grmela et al. (1998) are recovered as special cases. T he parameters of the model were given a physical meaning in both shear and elongational flows and the predictions of the model were compared to the pr edictions of the previous models on the basis of experimental results obtai ned on two model blends PDM/PB polydimethylsiloxane/poly(1-butene)and PP/PS polypropylene/polystyrene blends.