International Polymer Processing, Vol.35, No.1, 58-69, 2020
In Situ Assembly of LDPE/PA6 Multilayer Structure by Stirring
A coextrusion apparatus was developed to fabricate low-density polyethylene/polyamide 6 (LDPE/PA6) multilayer films. Unlike the feedblocks used in conventional coextrusion, the apparatus consists of a stirring rod, which stretches and folds the polymer components. On rotating the stirring rod, the lower viscosity phase migrates to high shear regions (stirring rod surface), thereby contributing to the formation of a multilayer structure. The desired multilayer structure was achieved at the optimum stirring speed (0.013 m s(-1)), volumetric flow rate of LDPE (5.8 x 10(-6) m(3) s(-1)), and volumetric flow rate of PA6 (1.5 x 10(-6) m(3) s(-1)). The LDPE/PA6 multilayer film had higher tensile and puncture resistance properties compared to that produced from conventional coextrusion, indicating the potential of the proposed apparatus for multilayer polymer film production.