Aging of quenched polypropylene

Abstract

Abstract Structural changes occurring during the aging of polypropylene quenched from the melt have been investigated by measurements of gas transport parameters and mechanical properties. Major changes in diffusion and sorption behavior during the first 30 hr of aging at room temperature were found to be strongly dependent on the atomic size of the inert gas penetrants. Tensile mechanical properties increased with aging time, while resilience and mechanical damping showed more complex behavior. The interpretation of the combined results suggests that the aging process may involve molecular rearrangements generally comparable to those for secondary crystallization processes, but within domains comparable in size to that of the smaller penetrant species. The relaxation of a residual stress distribution related to nonuniform plastic flow during quenching may be superimposed on the rearrangement phenomena.