Polymer Engineering Faculty Research

Title

Role of molten fraction on the structural evolution in stretching and cooling of crosslinked low-density polyethylene: Real-time mechano-optical measurements

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-15-2005

Abstract

We investigated the uniaxial deformation behavior of crosslinked low-density polyethylene in partially and substantially molten states using a real-time true stress–strain birefringence system. The stress–birefringence behavior exhibits a multiregime behavior during stretching and holding process. The details of this regime behavior are primarily governed by the degree of unmelted crystallinity as it has a dominant role in the long-range structural connectivity. When the long-range physical connectivity is present, a three-regime nonlinear stress–optical behavior was observed. When the long-range connectivity is substantially eliminated at higher temperatures, the regime I behavior disappears. Structural studies including cooling process reveal that the lower the proportion of molten material during stretching, the higher the concentration of fibrillar structure and the shorter are the lengths of the kebabs that exhibit twisted lamellae after solidification

Publication Title

Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics

Volume

43

Issue

14

First Page

1825

Last Page

1841

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