Morphology and mechanical properties of HDPE reinforced with PET microfibres

R. SELTZER; L. FASCE; P. FRONTINI; PACHECO, ELEN; RODRIGUEZ PITA, VICTOR; LOPES DIAS, MARCOS

Composites Technologies For 2020

Woodhead Publishing Limited

Año: 2014; p. 163 - 168

In this work compatibilized blends of PET and HDPE with 1% and 7% ethylene/methacrylic acid copolymer (Nucrel) have been prepared and their morphology and mechanical properties have been compared with those of the same uncompatibilized blends. Aiming to induce different morphollogies the pellets of the blends were processed by three different procedures: compression molding, extrusion and extrusion followed by annealing. In every case, HDPE constituted the matrix and PET was the dispersed phase. PET adopted a nodular morphology in the compression molded samples, it took the form of microfibers (microfibrillar reinforces composites) in extruded samples, and it appears flake like in the annealed extruded samples. According to tensile and fracture tests, extruded blends having 7% Nucrel appeared as the optimim combination of processing method and compatibilizer content.