Abstract
Weathering tests were carried out on high-density polyethylene (HDPE) HDPE–CaCO3 composites exposed to tropical humid climate of Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, in two different environments: a rural–urban (RU) and marine–coastal (MC) one. The samples were analyzed for changes of physical and chemical properties, with respect to their thermal behavior, infrared absorption and molecular weight. Data obtained in this study, by means of FT-IR, DSC, and viscometry techniques, show that the actual weathering process can be extremely complex, involving a number of weathering factors acting together and resulting in other process interactions within or on the material. Despite the differences between RU and MC temperature–relative humidity daily values, the environmental temperature seems to be the key factor that impacts the rate of aging more than the ambient humidity. The presence of the mineral filler CaCO3 influences the HDPE degradation mechanism, whereas the environmental conditions only modify the rate of polymer degradation.
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