Influence of temperature and concentration on the rheology of UHMWPE/paraffin oil solutions

The rheological properties of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)/paraffin oil solutions were studied using parallel plate rheometry. The viscosity and flow curves were determined for the solutions using rotational testing. The effect of temperature and UHMWPE content on the shear stress and viscosity was examined. Creep recovery studies were carried out to determine the influence of UHMWPE content on zero shear viscosity, recovery ratio and creep compliance. The viscoelastic properties of the solutions at different temperatures were determined from oscillation testing. Complex viscosity curves were fitted with the Carreau-Yasuda relation to determine the influence of temperature and UHMWPE content on the zero shear viscosity. The concentration dependence of the viscosity was fitted with a power law relation, and the exponent value was determined to be 3.6. The activation energy calculated using the Arrhenius relation was found to depend on the UHMWPE content. Cole-Cole and Han plots were used to determine the homogeneity of the solutions. The structural viscosity factor and Han plot were used to predict the possible spinnability of the solutions from rotational and oscillation tests, respectively.