ABSTRACT
One of the main objectives of thermoplastic melt rheology is to develop an understanding of the responses of the polymeric materials to various types of deformations so that useful information is generated for the polymer processor. Normally, the processor resorts to simple rules of thumb based on prior experience in order to get answers to any processing problems. This is because the work of the theoretical rheologist, although accurate, is beyond the comprehension of the common processor, and the work of the experimental rheologist, although pragmatic, is often based on conditions that are too ideal to have actual importance.
