Rheological properties of carbon fibre filled low-density polyethylene under the parallel steady and oscillatory shear flows

Abstract

Investigations of the flow properties of low-density polyethylene compounded with carbon fibre under the parallel superposed steady and oscillatory shear flows were performed. The effect of the steady shear on the viscoelastic properties as well as the effect of fibre content on the superposed flow properties were discussed. Overall, superposed flow conditions enhanced viscoelastic response (dynamic viscosity, storage modulus) of the filled systems. The critical angular frequency, where phase angle becomes 90° and storage modulus decreases sharply to zero, was found to be largely dependent on the volume fraction of fibre, regardless of the superposed shear rate. Whereas superposed flow properties of the pure PE melt changed monotonously, those of the composites showed peaks in corresponding dependencies, even if under simple shear flows they behaved in the similar manner as PE matrix.