Investigation of LDPE/LLDPE blends foaming behavior based on the high-pressure rheology

Rheology is the branch of physics that deals with the deformation and flow of matter, especially the non-Newtonian flow of liquids and the plastic flow of solids, which is very important in the foaming process. Currently, the rheology of a pure polymer is mainly used to characterize the foamability of polymers. However, the processing conditions, such as high pressure and blowing agent dissolution, exert a significant effect on the rheology. Thus, the investigation of the rheology under the practical conditions is critical for a better understanding of the process and its optimization. The objective of this research project is to correlate the high-pressure rheology of Low density polyethylene (LDPE) and Linear Low density polyethylene (LLDPE) blends with their batch foaming behavior. The high-pressure rheology of LDPE and LLDPE will be characterized, respectively. TO BE CONT’D

Faculty Supervisor:

Jesse Zhu

Student:

Yazan Hassan

Partner:

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

University:

Western University

Program:

Globalink