Comparative investigations of surface instabilities ("sharkskin") of a linear and a long-chain branched polyethylene

Abstract

An experimental study of the physical origin and the mechanisms of the sharkskin instability is presented. Extrusion flows through a slit die are studied for two materials: a linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) and a low density polyethylene (LDPE). By combining laser-Doppler velocimetry (LDV) with rheological measurements in both uniaxial extension and shear, the distributions of tensile and shear stresses in extrusion flows are measured for both materials.