MORPHOLOGY-PROPERTY RELATIONSHIPS IN ABS PET BLENDS .2. INFLUENCE OF PROCESSING CONDITIONS ON STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES/

The effect of processing temperature on the low-speed tensile and high -speed impact properties of novel ABS/PET blends was investigated. In agreement with the conclusions from related studies of ABS/PC blends, it appears that catalytic impurities in the ABS accentuate the propens ity of PET for chain scission. Due to the cocontinuous structure of th e blend, the hydrolytic or thermomechanical degradation of the PET res ults in a dramatic loss in mechanical properties which can be explaine d by the entanglement theory for fracture and the Orowan brittle-ducti le hypothesis. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.