The monoclinic form of crystal in cold-drawn PE and deformation mechanism

The monoclinic form of crystal in cold-drawn high-density polyethylene has been examined by infrared spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction. The IR results show that the monoclinic form of crystal exists in samples drawn at room temperature at high rates up to 8.5 mm/s. The x-ray diffraction photographs also show that the monoclinic form exists in the high-rate cold-drawn PE samples. The quantitative determination shows that the draw ratio has a primary effect on the content of the monoclinic form in cold-drawn PE samples. The results are explained by a “localized melting” model.