THE EFFECT OF MOULD TEMPERATURE ON MORPHOLOGY OF INJECTION MOULDED HDPE STRUCTURAL FOAMS

摘要

Structural foams are composed of a low-density central core enclosed by unfoamed solid skins. In this talk, experimental results will be presented on the effect of mould temperature on the morphology of HDPE foams produced via injection moulding and azodicarbonamide as a chemical blowing agent. By changing the mould temperature between 30 and 90°C, skin thickness and cell size distributions are reported. Results will also be presented on the effect of setting to a different temperature the moving and fixed parts of the mould creating a temperature gradient inside the mould and leading to the production of asymmetric foams; i.e. unequal skin thickness on both sides. Applications of asymmetric foams will also be presented in relation with impact toughness.