This study describes the viscoelastic characterizations of unmodified and heat-modified mangrove particle (MP)-filled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites. The untreated (unmodified) and treated (modified) MPs were compounded with HDPE matrix at 10, 20 and 30 wt% in a twin-screw extruder and compression moulded into thin sheets for rheological characterizations (amplitude and frequency sweeps). The amplitude sweeps of the dynamic rheological analysis indicated that 20 wt% treated composite has the highest linear viscoelastic region of 0.1% with the highest storage and loss modulus of 1310 and 150 kPa, respectively. The frequency sweep showed an increase in storage and loss moduli as particle loading increased. The zero shear viscosities of pure HDPE were nearly 3990 Pa·s, while the MP-reinforced HDPE composites were ≥185,440 Pa·s with treated composites exhibiting higher values.
A static bench ultrasonic setup was designed and implemented after due consideration for the heat transfer characteristics. The set up allows the measurement of the temperature profile of pertinent ultrasonic variables. The ultrasonic attenuation-temperature profiles in a few compositions of a partially miscible blend of Poly(α-methyl styrene acrylonitrile)/Poly(methyl methacrylate), as well as a PVC compound filled with mineral calcium carbonate fillers of three different particle sizes were followed using this set up. It was found that as the temperature was increased, the attenuation decreases with increase in the PαMSAN content of the blend, reached a peak and then decreases with further temperature increase. The peak value occurred in the 1-phase region while the peak temperature increases with PαMSAN content in the chosen blends. In the filled PVC system, the attenuation also increases with filler loading, especially within the vicinity of typical processing temperatures. The ultrasound technique, if applied to polymer processing, looks promising especially in closed regions along processing equipments.
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