Abstract
ABSTRACT: In this study, the viscoelastic properties of a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) filled with glass beads (GBs) are measured at 150 C by means of a capillary rheometer to identify the effect of the particle size on the melt viscoelasticity. The volume fraction of the GB was 8.4%. The surface of the particles has been treated with a silane-coupling agent and the diameter range was from 4 to 180 mm. The results showed that either the entry pressure drop (Pen) or the entry elongation stress (e) is a linear function of shear stress (w) at the channel wall. The values of both Pen and e of these composite melts are close to each other. This illustrates that the influence of the bead size and its distribution on them is insignificant at low filler concentration. The die-swell ratio (B) increases nonlinearly with an addition of w. When the diameter (d) of the beads is less than 50 mm, B decreases dramatically with an increase of d, especially at low shear stress level, and then it decreases slightly under the given shear stress level.
