This handbook provides an exhaustive description of polyethylene. The 50+ chapters are written by some of the most experienced and prominent authors in the field, providing a truly unique view of polyethylene. The book starts with a historical discussion on how low density polyethylene was discovered and how it provided unique opportunities in the early days. New catalysts are presented and show how they created an expansion in available products including linear low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, copolymers, and polyethylene produced from metallocene catalysts. With these different catalysts systems a wide range of structures are possible with an equally wide range of physical properties. Numerous types of additives are presented that include additives for the protection of the resin from the environment and processing, fillers, processing aids, anti-fogging agents, pigments, and flame retardants. Common processing methods including extrusion, blown film, cast film, injection molding, and thermoforming are presented along with some of the more specialized processing techniques such as rotational molding, fiber processing, pipe extrusion, reactive extrusion, wire and cable, and foaming processes. The business of polyethylene including markets, world capacity, and future prospects are detailed. This handbook provides the most current and complete technology assessments and business practices for polyethylene resins.
Table of Contents:
Foreword by Barry Morris xi
Preface xiii
List of Contributors xv
Part 1: Principles and Properties of Polyethylene
1 An Industrial Chronology of Polyethylene 3
Christopher Dobbin
2 Catalysts for the Manufacture of Polyethylene 25
Yury V. Kissin
3 Ethylene Polymerization Processes and Manufacture of Polyethylene 61
Ian D. Burdett and Ronald S. Eisinger
4 Types and Basics of Polyethylene 105
Rajen M. Patel
5 Molecular Structural Characterization of Polyethylene 139
A. Willem deGroot, David Gillespie, Rongjuan Cong, Zhe Zhou and Rajesh Paradkar
6 Thermal Analysis of Polyethylene 217
Kevin Menard and Noah Menard
7 Rheology of Polyethylene 239
Gregory W. Kamykowski
8 Processing-Structure-Property Relationships in Polyethylene 283
Rajen M. Patel
9 Mechanical Properties of Polyethylene: Deformation and Fracture Behavior 309
Alexander Chudnovsky, and Kalyan Sehanobish
Part 2: Processing and Fabrication of Polyethylene
10 Single-Screw Extrusion of Polyethylene Resins 339
Mark A. Spalding
11 Twin-Screw Extrusion of Polyethylene 357
Yoshitaka Kumura, Amit K. Chaudhary and Mark A. Spalding
12 Blown Film Processing 381
Thomas I. Butler
13 Cast Film Extrusion of Polyethylene 411
Hyunwoo Kim, Mark A. Spalding, Kurt A. Koppi, Wes Hobson and Joseph Dooley
14 Extrusion Coating and Laminating 429
Thomas Bezigian
15 Injection Molding 443
Jon Ratzlaff and Thomas Giovannetti
16 Blow Molding of Polyethylene 475
Mohammad Usman and Abdul Sami Siddiqui
17 Rotational Molding 535
Jon Ratzlaff and Glenn E. Larkin, Jr.
18 Thermoforming Polyethylene 573
Roger C. Kipp
19 Polyethylene Pipe Extrusion 591
Pam Maeger, V. Rohatgi, D. Hukill, N. Koganti and B. Martinez
20 Polyethylene Foam Extrusion 603
N. S. Ramesh
21 Expanded Polyethylene Bead Foam Technology 637
Steven R. Sopher
22 Polyethylene Fiber Extrusion 669
Johannes Fink
23 Polyethylene Compounding Technologies 695
Charles D. Park II and Steven Blazey
24 Polyethylene Modification by Reactive Extrusion 715
Adriana I. Moncada, Wenyi Huang and Nicholas Horstman
Part 3: Additives for Polyethylene
25 Degradation and Stabilization of Polyethylene 753
Joseph J. Fay and Roswell E. King, III
26 Light Stabilization of Polyethylene 771
Feng Zuo and Tad Finnegan
27 Acid Scavengers for Polyethylene 793
Robert L. Sherman Jr. and Kimberly E. Kern
28 Slip Agents 821
John Gray and Thomas Breuer
29 Antiblocking Additives 833
Johannes Fink
30 Antistatic Additives for Polyethylene 853
Gina Butuc, Gea Spijkerman, Sue te Hofstee and Ted Kampen
31 Antifogging Agents for Polyethylene Films 865
Michele Potenza and Bjarne Nielsen
32 Lubricants for Polyethylene 877
Johannes Fink
33 Fluorinated Polymer Processing Aids for Polyethylene 889
David A. Seiler, Francois Beaume, Samuel Devisme and Jason A. Pomante
34 Chemical Blowing Agents for Polyethylene 909
Peter Schroeck, Randy Minton, Theresa Healy and Larry Keefe
35 Flame Retardants for Polyethylene 921
Rudolf Pfaendner
36 Nucleating Agents for Polyethylene 935
Darin L. Dotson
37 Antimicrobial Agents for Polyethylene 967
Ivan Ong
38 Pigments and Colorants for Polyethylene 985
Roger Reinicker
Part 4: Applications of Polyethylene
39 Fillers and Reinforcing Agents for Polyethylene 1035
Janos Moczo and Bela Pukanszky
40 Flexible Packaging Applications of Polyethylene 1071
Jeff Wooster and Jill Martin
41 Rigid Packaging Applications 1091
Cliff R. Mure
42 Pipe and Tubing Applications of Polyethylene 1109
Bryan E. Hauger
43 Wire and Cable Applications of Polyethylene 1125
Scott H. Wasserman, Bharat I. Chaudhary, Jeffrey M. Cogen, Mohamed Esseghir and Timothy J. Person
44 Medical Applications of Polyethylene 1155
Benjamin Poon and Len Czuba
45 Automotive Applications for Polyethylene 1169
Kalyan Sehanobish
46 Textile, Hygiene, Health, and Geosynthetic Applications of Polyethylene 1179
Sanjiv R. Malkan
47 Applications of Polyethylene Elastomers and Plastomers 1197
Kim L. Walton, Tim Clayfield, Jim Hemphill and Lisa Madenjian
Part 5: The Business of Polyethylene
48 Product Regulatory Considerations for Polyethylene 1221
Tor H. Palmgren
49 Sustainability and Recycling of Polyethylene 1245
Thomas Nosker and Jennifer Lynch
50 Bio-Polyethylene and Polyethylene-Biopolymer Blends 1253
Johannes Fink
51 The Business of Polyethylene 1297
Jorge O. Buhler-Vidal
Appendix A1: Polymer Abbreviation Definitions 1331
Index 1333
About the Author :
Mark A. Spalding is a Fellow in the Materials & Parts Processing Group at The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI. He joined Dow in 1985 after completing a BS from The University of Toledo and a MS and PhD from Purdue University, all in Chemical Engineering. He has performed fundamental research in single-screw extrusion, developed methods to measure resin physical properties that are important to polymer processing, developed numerous techniques to troubleshoot and increase the rates of extrusion lines, and has developed new mathematical models for extrusion simulation. He co-authored the book "Analyzing and Troubleshooting Single-Screw Extruders" with Gregory A. Campbell. Dr. Spalding is a Fellow and Honored Service Member of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE).
Ananda M. Chatterjee started his career at Celanese Plastics (1978) and worked for Shell Development, Union Carbide, Dow Chemical, Kaneka Texas, and Ingenia Polymers. He had extensive and in-depth experience in polymer research and development, product commercialization, polymer film processing and products technology, polymer additives technology, additive blends technology and processing, customer technical service, intellectual property (patent) invention and licensing and technology transfer of UNIPOL polypropylene technology worldwide. He was a Fellow and Honored Service Member of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE). Dr. Chatterjee held a PhD from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and held over 25 U.S. patents. Dr. Chatterjee passed away in 2016 during the development of this book.
