CHEMICAL REACTIONS DURING THE PROCESSING OF STABILIZED PE; DISCOLOURATION AND STABILIZER CONSUMPTION

Abstract

A series of experiments was carried out to develop an additive package for HDPE blown films. The evaluation of the results yielded interesting correlations relating the colour of the polymer to its chain structure and to the properties of the films. Additional experiments proved that all reactions are related to each other. The discolouration of the polymer could be described by simple first order reaction kinetics and a linear correlation was found between stability and a quantity calculated from the kinetic model. The reaction of the vinyl functionality of the polymer seems to be related to the changes in its rheological properties. In spite of the good general correlations found, some details remained unexplained and need further investigation.