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H. Mavridis, K. Fronek--It has recently been reported (TAPPI-2000) that different types of High-Performance Hexene LLDPE (HPH-LLDPE) behave differently with respect to the onset of sharkskin-melt-fracture (SSMF), depending on the breadth of the molecular weight distribution (MWD). The MWD differences were small and subtle, but the effect on the onset of melt fracture was significant. The present study is a continuation of that work, through a comparative investigation under shear rate conditions high enough to induce melt fracture in both narrow and broad-MWD LLDPEs. A fluoropolymer process aid (PPA) was then added in stepwise increments in order to eliminate melt fracture. It was found that the narrow-MWD resin required more than twice the amount of PPA in order to eliminate SSMF.
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Effect of MWD on the Amount of Polymer Process Aid Required to Suppress Sharkskin Melt Fracture in L