pps proceeding
Symposium: S07 - Fibers and Films Oral Presentation
Monitoring structure development in LDPE blown film using real-time wide-angle X-ray diffraction
van Drongelen Martin (1)*, Cavallo Dario (2), Vittorias Iakovas (3), Alfonso Giancarlo (2), Peters Gerrit (1)
(1) Eindhoven University of Technology - Noord-Brabant - Netherlands, (2) University of Genova - Genova - Italy, (3) Basell Polyolefine GmbH - Hesse - Germany
Blown fi lm extrusion was combined with wide-angle X-ray acquisition at a synchrotron radiation facility. The structure evolution within the fi lm has been examined along the machine direction and
during extrusion for combinations of low- and high levels of take-up and blow-up ratios. This procedure was repeated for three grades of LDPE, with each grade possessing diff erent molecular properties,
i.e. molecular weight distribution and branching content. The development of crystallinity and the molecular orientation has been studied. It is shown that the combined approach of wide-angle X-ray acquisition with blown film extrusion is a valuable method to study
structure evolution in the complex process of fi lm blowing.