Mechanical properties of oriented polyethylene/polystyrene blends

Abstract

AbstractIncompatible blends comprised of polystyrene and various high density polyethylenes were processed into tapes, in which both the phase and molecular orientations were parallel to the machine direction, by a combination of extrusion and mechanical stretching of the melt prior to quenching. Machine direction tensile yield strengths and ultimate elongations were found to be considerably higher than those obtained for comparable compression molded samples throughout the range of blend compositions and processing conditions investigated. Transverse tape properties were consistently poor due to poor interfacial adhesion. An optimum in machine direction properties was observed as the stretch ratio was increased at various melt temperatures. This optimum is likely due to a competition between morphological and molecular orientation rates during the stretching process and is a complex function of stretching rate and melt temperature as well as blend composition, relative phase viscosities, polyethylene crystallinity, and interfacial adhesion. Tapes stretched at high melt temperatures tended to show decreasing ductility and increasing tensile strength as room temperature storage time increased. This is believed to be due to secondary crystallization of the polyethylene phase. Oriented tapes were found to be easily fibrillated by mechanical heating to form a pulp. This material may prove suitable as a high grade replacement for cellulose pulp in paper making and could be formed at low cost from waste plastic feed stock.