The article aims to determine the peculiarities of macromolecule deformation behavior under conditions of a jet-shaping head that would allow to solve the issue related to the mechanism of increasing water-jet cutting power with polymer additions. The roles of longitudinal and transverse velocity gradients in the manifestation of distinctive features of polymer solution flows are analysed.
In converging polyethyleneoxide solution flow macromolecules are forced by a hydrodynamic field to rather strong stretching that causes the dynamic structure formation in solutions. There have been studied experimentally velocity fields and their gradients as well as the degree of macromolecule unrolling under pattern conditions of a jet-shaping head in polyethyleneoxide solutions flow. In converging polymer solution flow macromolecules are forced by a hydrodynamic field to rather strong (~ 60 % and more) stretching that causes the field restructuring. The determined regularities of macromolecules behavior in the flow under conditions of a jet-shaping head and manifested in this case effects of elastic deformations have paramount importance in understanding the mechanism of “anomalously” high cutting power of water-polymer jet. The work for the first time makes it possible to explain the nature of increased water-jet cutting power with polymer additions when cutting food products. Understanding the nature of increased cutting power of water-polymer jet will make it possible to develop recommendations on choosing regimes for water-polymer jet processing of food products by cutting.