Polyolefins

Polymer Drawing facility

Polymer molecules possess inherent high stiffness. The random orientation and the coiling of these molecules, however, enormously reduce the modulus of the macrostructure. By orienting the polymer molecules in one direction, the mechanical properties of the macrostructure can be improved, allowing these polymers to compete with a wide range of engineering materials. The recent acquisition of a polymer drawing facility at TU/e allows the enhancement of the mechanical properties of fibres and tapes by solid state deformation.

The first stage in the process is the extrusion of a polymer tape, by one of a dedicated single screw extruder. The precursor tape is then stretched by drawing in a hot oven. The tape can then be pulled through a subsequent hot oven, in which it can be further drawn, and the stretched tape can then be collected by purpose-built filament winding equipment. This two stage drawing process allows the creation of polymer tapes with excellent mechanical properties because of the alignment of the polymer molecules in the drawing direction of the tape.

Current research focuses on a range of polymers including polypropylene, polyethylene, polyamide and polyethylene terephthalate, and the use of existing characterisation techniques allows immediate tape characterisation during continuous tape production.