STUDY OF BLENDS BASED ON RECYCLED POLYETHYLENE WASTES .1. VARIATION OF MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES WITH COMPOSITION

Data covering the physical properties of molten and solid samples of t wo binary blends of recycled polyethylene wastes, in a wide range of c ompositions, are reported. While some properties (density, fusion enth alpy) show a linear behaviour with composition other properties (micro hardness, yield stress) show a deviation from linearity. Deviation of microhardness additivity of the single components has been interpreted , after analysis of the DSC thermograms, as being due to segregation a nd recombination of molecular species from both components during crys tallization. It is also suggested that the presence of a high oxidatio n in one low-density polyethylene component, detected by infrared spec troscopy, influences the very low values observed for the melt flow in dex and melt elongation at break.