Abstract: This chapter discusses polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), their fatigue and tribology data. In organic chemistry, an alkene, also called an olefin, is a chemical compound containing at least one carbon-to-carbon double bond. The simplest alkenes, with only one double bond and no other functional groups, form a homologous series of hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH 2n . The two simplest alkenes of this series are ethylene and propylene. When these are polymerized, they form PE and PP. PE can be made in a number of ways. The way it is produced can affect its physical properties. It can also have very small amounts of comonomers, which will alter its structure and properties. Further, the three main types of PP are generally available: homopolymers are made in a single reactor with propylene and catalyst. It is the stiffest of the three propylene types and has the highest tensile strength at yield; Random copolymers are made in a single reactor with a small amount of ethylene (5%) added which disrupts the crystallinity of the polymer allowing this type to be the clearest; Impact copolymers, also known as block copolymers, are made in a two-reactor system where the homopolymer matrix is made in the first reactor and then transferred to the second reactor where ethylene and propylene are polymerized to create ethylene propylene rubber (EPR) in the form of microscopic nodules dispersed in the homopolymer matrix phase.
Publication Year: 2014
Publication Date: 2014-09-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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