Polythene fine structure

Abstract

Abstract Part I traces fine structural features of polythene, beginning with the arrangement of carbon atoms disclosed by x‐ray diffraction, and including the incorporation of crystalline segments into crystallites, and finally the combination of crystallites and amorphous regions to form spherulites–the largest structural elements of polythene. Attention is called to the frequent occurrence of side chains in the molecules. The structures of spherulitic and cold‐drawn polythenes are compared. Part II describes an experimental study of the cold‐drawing of polythene which discloses an interesting variant of this process, designated as “redrawing,” in which dimensional changes differ greatly from those of ordinary cold‐drawing. On the basis of these observations and structural considerations presented in Part I, a mechanism of cold‐drawing as a rheological process is outlined.