Material Science
LAB SESSION: POLYMER PROCESSING
Polymer characterization: MELT FLOW INDEX (MFI) and density
- Theoretical background
According to their behavior as the temperature rises, polymers are classified
into thermoplastics (TP) or thermosets (TS). Thermoplastics soften when
heated (and eventually liquefy) and harden when cooled; processes that are
totally reversible and may be repeated. Thus, this type of polymers can be re-
cycled and reprocessed. However, when reprocessed, some of its properties
may decrease, so recycling cannot be carried out unlimitedly. As for their mo-
lecular structure, thermoplastic polymers are composed of linear or branched
chains, presenting weak bonds of the Van der Waals type between them.
Figure 1 – Typical linear (left) and brached (right) chains of TP.
On the contrary, thermosetting polymers become permanently hard during
their formation and do not soften upon heating and at a certain temperature
they undergo a thermal degradation process. Therefore, they cannot be repro-
cessed once they are formed and they are not recyclable. Fabrication of ther-
mosetting polymers is typically accomplished in two stages: preparation of the
prepolymer (usually a linear polymer of low molecular weight and viscous liquid
appearance) and curing (by heat, UV, presence of catalysts, etc.). During cur-
ing,a crosslinked or a network structure forms.
Figure 2.- Crosslinked structure of TS
1
Material Science
LAB SESSION: POLYMER PROCESSING
In this first session, some thermoplastic polymers (PE,PP, PLA and PCL) will be
studied. Both PLA and PCL are biodegradable polymers of great interest in bio-
medical applications and also as biocompostable polymers for containers and
packaging.
According to the arrangement of the polymer chains that make them up, ther-
moplastic polymers can be semi-crystalline (characterized by presenting melting
temperature-Tm and glass transition temperature-Tg) or totally amorphous (char-
acterized by presenting only glass transition temperature-T g). For processing,
semi-crystalline thermoplastic polymers must be heated to temperatures above
their Tm (usually Tm + 10 °C) while amorphous thermoplastic polymers must be
heated above their Tg to obtain a viscous liquid behavior (usually Tg + 100ºC).
Figure 3.- Arrangement of polymer chains in an amorphous and semicrystalline polymer (left). Variation
of the specific volume with the temperature for amorphous (glass) and semicrystalline solids.
Once processed, the specimens obtained will be subjected to a tensile test to
determine their mechanical properties. Remember that the mechanical proper-
ties of polymeric materials are affected by temperature. Thus, in general, the
materials exhibit a ductile behavior above their Tg, while they show a fragile be-
havior below their Tg.
2
Material Science
LAB SESSION: POLYMER PROCESSING
Figure 4.-Brittle behavior of a polymeric material, characteristic of thermoplastic polymers with high Tg (curve
A). Ductile behavior of a polymeric material, characteristic of thermoplastic polymers with low T g (curve B).
- MELT FLOW INDEX measurement
Objectives: characterize the fluidity of two thermoplastic polymers (MFI: melt fluid in-
dex). See also the influence of temperature and chemical structure.
(and remember how to measure the density of a solid material)
Data you will need to perform the following exercises:
polietilene HDPE ALCUDIA M5305 MFI: 0.5 g/10 min 190 ºCtan and 2.16 Kg
polipropilene PP 040 G1E MFI: 3.01 g/10 min 230 ºCtan and 2.16 Kg
Remember the principle of Arquimedes:
Tension of the wire: T
weigth : mg
impulse: E=ρf·g·V, ρf = density of the
liquid
weigth inside water T=mg-ρf·g·V
3
Material Science
LAB SESSION: POLYMER PROCESSING
Practical work:
Activity 1: Questions to answer before you start
Why do you think that in the case of the PP a higher temperament is required to
test than in the case of the PE?
What do you think can happen if you confuse temperatures (that is, if you use
190ºC for PP and 230ºC for PE)?
Activity 2: Measuring the MFI
Given polymer pellets A and B, guess which polymer is A and which polymer is
B.
Using the data in the preceding paragraph, what will be the density of the PP?
What about the PE?
Can MFI be tested with thermoset polymers? Why?
What is the use of MFI testing in a production factory?
(Also measure the density of the metal parts given by the teacher).
