A multidirectional shear rheometer for polymer melts

A parallel plate shear rheometer for polymer melts was built for superposed shear tests in two orthogonal directions. To examine its performance, a standard test was developed, including a change of the shear direction by angles between 0° and 180°. The results were analyzed to obtain preliminary information on the multidirectional shear behavior of a low-density polyethylene melt. The measured orthogonal components of the shear force were added and then split again into components of the original and of the changed shear direction. It was found, within the range of error, that these components depend only on time and on the shear rate, but not on the angle by which the shear direction is changed. The total shear rate was 0.56 s^–1.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Joachim Meissner on the occasion of his 60th birthday.