Dr. Dane Chang, Dr. David Marshall, Chris Cox
Papers # 2014 Chicago
Plastic pipe applications often require polymers to have adequate abrasion resistance during usage. Although typical polyethylene resins have reasonably good resistance to abrasion and can be broadly used with a variety of chemicals, there are some demanding applications that require a resin with enhanced abrasion and chemical resistance. For example, high density polyethylene (HDPE) based pipes designed to handle gritty water based slurries in mining applications, may not be adequate to handle petroleum based slurries, this is especially true if the applications involve elevated temperatures.
This paper discusses the development and comparison of several very high molecular weight polyethylene (VHMWPE) based resins in relationship to the environmental parameters encountered in slurry handling applications along with the processing parameters needed for manufacture of extruded pipe. These modified VHMWPE resins show improved abrasion resistance at both room and elevated temperatures in both water and solvent based slurries. Evaluation of processability parameters using melt index and melt flow rates, spiral flow, and both lab and commercial extrusion equipment are discussed.
