| Abstract: | Changes in flow properties of polyethylene resins have often been observed during processing operations. Studies in this laboratory show that melt viscosity of polyethylene normally increases when the resin is heated in a compression mold at temperatures below 300°C. At the same time, the solution viscosity actually decreases in some cases. During extrusion, on the other hand, both melt viscosity and solution viscosity are shown to decrease. In addition, the logarithm of melt flow rate is seen to deviate markedly from the expected linear dependence on reciprocal of absolute temperature. The results suggest that both crosslinking and chain-scission reactions occur during processing, the former predominating at low or zero shear, the latter at high shear. |
