Process for producing polyethylene articles having a high tensile strength and modulus

摘要

High strength and modulus articles, such as filaments, fibers, tapes, films, tubes, bars or profiles, are prepared by irradiating a solid, particular, lamellar, disentangled polyethylene with a Mw 410. sup.5, transforming this polyethylene above the melt temperature into an article, cooling said article to below the melting point and stretching it in several steps at rising temperature but below the melting point of the article.PPAdvantages are i.a. the lower costs compared with the known processes, such as solid state extrusion or thermoreversible gelation.