Melt blended high density polyethylene compositions with enhanced properties and method for producing the same

摘要

Melt blended HDPE compositions for single and dual wall corrugated HDPE pipe and associated fabricated and molded fittings and accessories with enhanced physical properties and processing and environmental stress crack resistance (ESCR) characteristics and associated blend methods are disclosed in which virgin or recycled homopolymer and/or copolymer HDPE resin components are blended. The invention discloses methods for 1) selecting and determining the relative weight fractions of the HDPE blending components that provide specific physical properties and processability of HDPE blended compositions associated with density and melt index respectively and specific values of environmental stress crack resistance (ESCR) associated with specific molecular parameters and 2) for determining from molecular parameters, the ESCR of linear polyethylene resins and blended compositions within a class having similar densities. The invention reduces the cost of raw materials to corrugated HDPE pipe manufacturers by enabling the use of virgin prime commodity HDPE resins and/or wide and off specification prime HDPE resins in place of single stream specialty HDPE resins and favorably impacts the environment by providing the capability of utilizing recycled HDPE resins in place of prime HDPE resins in the manufacture of corrugated HDPE pipe.