Shear degradation of polymer solutions

Abstract

Abstract Shear degradation of polyisobutylene solutions was studied in laminar flow through capillaries. A special apparatus was designed with a view to a controlled shear history. The various effects of initial molecular weight, concentration, temperature, and shear stress at the wall on the final degradation product are combined in a single parameter representing the minimum force required for degrading a polymer sample to its final state. This work is based on the M.Sc. Thesis of A. Kadim, submitted at the Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion—Israel Institute of Technolog, Haifa, Israel.