Abstract
Dynamic molding has been proved to be an effective approach for fabricating self-reinforced polymers. However, the long molding time, high pressure or intense shear flow required, and anisotropic reinforcement have now resisted the application and development of dynamic molding induced self-reinforcement. Herein, we proposed a novel technique, named as cycle pulsating pressure (CPP) processing, that can abandon such drawbacks. Self-reinforced polyethylene (PE) was compression molded under CPP. Different CPP conditions were applied to study the responses in both structures and properties. The X-ray diffraction technique was employed to analyze the effect of CPP on the crystal structure of PE and revealed the lattice parameter variations induced by CPP. Melting behaviors were also characterized to indicate the processing related melting temperature and crystallinity evolutions. Evaluation of tensile properties suggested an isotropic self-reinforcement effect was achieved by applying CPP during compression molding. Among all samples, the PE fabricated under optimized CPP condition shows the most pronounced overall reinforcement of tensile properties with yield strength, tensile strength and Young's modulus of 28.5 MPa, 45.3 MPa and 259.0 MPa, and strain at break and tensile fracture toughness of 1338% and 357.3 MJ/m3, respectively. Ultimately, by measuring the relaxation time of the virgin PE we used, we established the process-structure-properties relationship. We believe that the CPP can pave a new avenue for us towards a deeper understanding of processing-induced structural evolution and property regulation.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call