Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol.82, No.10, 2478-2486, 2001
Rheology, morphology, and mechanical and thermal properties of recycled PVC pipes
This article demonstrated the possibility of recycling PVC pipes by investigating the effect of adding PVC pipes (varying from 0 to 80% wt) into two commercial PVC virgin grades on the rheological, morphological, mechanical, and thermal properties of the PVC blends. The results obtained showed an increase in the melt viscosity and no change in the die swell ratio as the concentration of the recycled PVC was increased. The die swell ratio was observed to increase with temperature, this being associated with the presence of gelation that occurred at high temperature. The optimum tensile and impact strengths were detected, the impact strength being explained by use of SEM micrographs of the fracture surface. The hardness result corresponded well to the density of the compounds. The glass transition, degradation, and heat-deflection temperatures were also found to shift with the recycled PVC loading.