Deformation Mechanism of Polyethylene Spherulites

Abstract

Internal structure exposed by fracturing the necking part of drawn polyethylene has been examined by a scanning electron microscope and the deformation mechanism of spherulites has been clarified. Drawing of unoriented specimens at 100°C gave a structure composed of macrofibrils whose diameters were strongly dependent on the period of lamellar twisting in the original spherulites. On the other hand, in the specimens drawn at 0°C, many slender regions of complex structure existed among macrofibrils; the structure, about 1~2 μm diameter, stems from the lamellae perpendicular to the draw direction.