Abstract
The melting and thermo-mechanical degradation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) samples with different moisture levels were investigated in an internal mixer under different processing conditions. The investigation used an ultrasonic diagnosis system and a torque rheometer. The experiment results showed that: 1) a PET sample with a lower humidity level was more stable than that having higher water content under the same processing conditions; 2) higher temperatures and blade speeds accelerated melting and degradation rates. However, the transition point from a partially melted state of a PET sample to a completely melted state could only be identified by ultrasound and the onset of degradation was evident from the ultrasonic measurement as opposed to the torque measurement.
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