Static mixers are used for the mixing of fluids with different properties like viscosity, density, temperature, etc. The Sulzer SMB mixer is designed for a high pressure drop which is e.g. the case in polymer melt blending. The deformation of the mixer caused by the fluid flow is investigated by the coupling of commercial CFD and FEA codes through a communications library called MpCCI. This loose coupling approach gives the opportunity for calculating the deformation of very complex structures which can be used for an optimization process during the phase of development of new mixers. This paper shows the use of the coupling of the two commercial codes STAR-CD and PERMAS by MpCCI for the investigation of the deformations of a mixer. It demonstrates that the use of coupling allows a more realistic calculation of stresses inside the structure.

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