PECULIARITIES OF RHEOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR OF FILLED POLYMER MELTS IN UNIAXIAL STRETCHING

The peculiarities of rheological behavior of filled polymer melts in uniaxial extension in a wide range of strain rates (from 2 x 10(-5) to 1 x 10(-1) s-1) have been studied. Linear polyethylene and 1,4-polybutadiene containing up to 21.5 vol.% of carbon black, silica, calcium carbonate or glass fibers were used. It has been found that the transition from uniform to nonunion stretching due to the neck formation is typical of all specimen compositions, when they approach steady-state straining. Depending on the structure and rheological characteristics of the compositions general conditions for this transition have been established. The general regularities for varying the rheological characteristics of filled polymers in the course of their uniform stretching have been recognized. These regularities depend on the molecular characteristics of the polymer matrix and the presence in the compositions of the structural framework of high disperse filler or the network formed by the entangled fibers. Using polyethylene compositions it has been shown that the introduction of small amounts of disperse or fibrous fillers can give rise to acceleration of the relaxation process in filled polymers.