Rheological behaviors of polypropylene/calcium carbonate nanocomposites under axial vibration force field.

Structures and data processing method of the self-developed multi-function and all-electric rheometer (MAR) for polymer composites were introduced. Polypropylene (PP)/Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3) nanocomposites were prepared. And the homogeneity of the composite was characterized by its rheological behavior. With MAR, the effects of vibration parameters on apparent shear viscosity of PP/CaCO3 nanocomposites were investigated. The results show that, the viscosity of the nanocomposites is much lower in dynamic test with proper vibration, comparing with it in corresponding steady-state test at same shear rate. This may be caused by the change of microstructure of the composites under vibration. The shear viscosity sharply decreases with the increase of vibration amplitude. However, the influence of vibration frequency on the shear viscosity of PP/CaCO3 nanocomposites is insignificant. Therefore, it is a good way to increase the superimposed vibration amplitude rather than the frequency to decrease the flow resistance. It is useful for discovering the energy saving mechanic of the polymer processing introduced the vibration energy into.