The role of gas penetration on morphological formation of polycarbonate/polyethylene blend molded by gas-assisted injection molding

Polycarbonate (PC)/polyethylene (PE) blend was molded respectively by short shot (SS) and gas-assisted injection molding (GAIM). In order to investigate the origin of the “skin-core” structure during GAIM process, the morphology of the two parts molded by SS and GAIM, far from skin, was studied. The results indicate that the structure of the SS part (SSP) is similar to that molded by conventional injection molding (CIM), while the structure of the GAIM part (GAIMP) shows an unusual gradient structure. Many coarse, short PC fibrils arise in sub skin, while such fibrils become more well-defined and reduce in number towards core layer. And the PC phase at the non-gate end, experiences more severe deformation than that at the gate end, which is also different from that in CIM parts. In addition, Moldflow 5.1, a commercial simulation package, was employed to determine the flow behaviors during SS and gas penetration processes. The experimental and simulated results indicate that shear rate and cooling rate are significant for the gradient structure formation during GAIM.