Plastisol foams - rheological and rheo-optical approach to developing new grades of poly(vinyl chloride)

In the chemical foaming process of poly(vinyl chloride) plastisols, gelatio n is one of the major parameters to be controlled in order to monitor the c ell morphology of the foam. The expansion of the foam is governed by the rh eological properties of the plastisol when the decomposition of the blowing agent occurs. The present paper shows the relevance of the viscoelastic pr operties to monitoring foam structure. The results demonstrate how such an approach can be used to develop new resin grades for a given formulation.