The effect of varying the polyethylene content and the co-polymer content on crazing in polystyrene—low-density polyethylene blends

The effect of varying the low-density polyethylene content and the polystyrenepolyethylene block co-polymer content on the rates of craze initiation and craze growth in polystyrene/low-density polyethylene blends has been studied. it was found that the parameters in the Eyring rate coefficients for craze initiation and craze growth are not dependent on the low-density polyethylene content. However, the rates of craze initiation increased with increasing low-density polyethylene content. This is explained tentatively by a new model for craze initiation. It is argued that effective crazes are only formed within clusters of low-density polyethylene particles that have overlapping stress-concentration fields. The dependence of the rate of craze initiation on the volume-fraction of dispersed phase that follows from this cluster model is qualitatively in agreement with experimental results. PS-PE co-polymer addition gives rise to changes in the Eyring parameters of the rate coefficients of craze initiation and craze growth. This may be a consequence of changes in morphology near the interface and of the different stress state at the interface.