Investigation on Physical Property Changes of Polyethylene Gas Pipes Initiated by Incorporation of an Antirodent Masterbatch

A few solutions have been proposed by zoologists and polymer technologists to prevent rodent attacks on polyethylene gas pipes. One of these solutions is melt blending of an antirodent masterbatch with pipe-grade polyethylene granule (PE80 and PE100) before pipe extrusion. Historically, an anti-rodent masterbatch is used as an additive in material of construction of wire and cable covers, agricultural polymer films and irrigation plastic pipes but not in polyethylene gas pipes. It has been experienced that the masterbatches are able to strongly reduce the number of events of rodent attacks on plastic objects such as wire and cable covers, polymer films and plastic pipes. Usually, antirodent added plastic objects are not required to have high strength properties; however polyethylene gas pipes are obliged to pass a dozen of standard strength-measuring tests [1] such as burst, hydrostatic, tension, and so on. In this paper, the effects of four commercial antirodent masterbatches on strength and physical properties of PE gas pipes are examined. Two groups of experiments have been planned in this work. Laboratory experiments including impact resistance, tensile elongation [2], ESCR, MFR and DSC were run on control and antirodent added PE100 test samples prepared in laboratory. Also standard quality control tests such as burst [3], hydrostatic (100, 165 and1000 hr); SCG (slow crack growth) [4], LR and OIT have been performed on antirodent free and antirodent added PE100 pipe samples produced in a polyethylene pipe factory. Based on the above experimental investigations, it was found that some negligible changes in physical properties of PE100 pipes were occurred on blending of an antirodent asterbatch with black polyethylene granule. However, these changes are still in the safe range of the PE gas pipe specifications.

کلیدواژه ها:

Antirodent Masterbatch ، Polyethylene Pipe ، Rodent Attack