A STUDY ON BLENDS OF LOW AND HIGH-DENSITY POLYETHYLENES - EFFECT OF MIXING TIME ON MECHANICAL, THERMAL-PROPERTIES AND OXIDATIVE-DEGRADATION

In this study, polyethylenes of high melt flow index LDPE and a medium melt flow index HDPE were melt blended. The mechanical, thermal properties and the thermal oxidative degradation were studied as a function of four different mixing times. The results were evaluated according to the blend composition and time of mixing. The tensile strength was found to be affected mostly by mixing time as compared with the elongation at break while the modulus remained unchanged with time of mixing. The thermal oxidative degradation of the blends were found to be less than the corresponding pure components