Kinetic theory of polymer melts. IX. Comparisons with experimental data

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Abstract
The modification to the Curtiss–Bird model to account for polydispersity is used to compare predictions of several material functions to experimental data. The data were taken from samples of polymer melts and concentrated solutions with two types of molecular weight distributions, log‐normal and Flory–Schulz. The Curtiss–Bird model is also compared to predictions of the Doi–Edwards model for viscosity of polydisperse samples. Experimental data for first normal stress coefficient, elongational stress growth viscosity, and steady elongational viscosity were also compared to the predictions of the Curtiss–Bird model. In all cases, the best fit to the experimental data were found for nonzero values of the link tension coefficient ε. It is found that HDPE η̄ data (and η̄+ data) can be fit by ε≂0.05, a value of ε that is low enough to predict rod dipping for this material.