Document Abstract
ANTEC Papers: 2003
Polyethylene Nanocomposites - Investigating The Tensile Properties Of Polyethylene Nanocomposites For Rotational Moulding.
Peter Halley, Darren Martin, Rowan Truss, Michael Murphy, Chiean Lee Ang
Rotational moulding is continuously expanding into new markets which require improved material properties and shorter cycle times. Conventional PE, used in over 80% of the rotational moulding market, is a relatively low strength material therefore large wall thickness, long cycle times and design limitations are imposed. The development of polymer/clay nanocomposites has shown significant improvements in mechanical properties with small additions of organoclay, which has the ability to improve mechanical performances or reduce cycle times. In this work the effect of organoclay on the tensile properties of PE nanocomposites at a range of temperatures was investigated. Tests were also carried out at a range of extension rate to illustrate the effect of slow extensions and instantaneous loading. Tensile testing shows the final nanocomposite properties depend significantly on organoclay loading with improvements of 25% in tensile moduli at room temperature and larger improvements at higher test temperatures being reported. The results also indicate the organoclay loadings investigated had an adverse effect on the tensile yield stress.