Blow Molded Articles and Process For Making Same

• US 20110305860A1
• Filed: 06/10/2011
• Published: 12/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ticona LLC (Celanese Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Ticona LLC (Celanese Corporation)
• Inventors: Yung, Paul C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,512,839 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/36.9
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/0005 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/04 Extrusion blow-moulding
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/12 of short lengths, e.g. chopped filaments, staple fibres or bristles
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2023/004 Bent tubes for use as pipe couplings B29L2031/24
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/0884 Epoxide containing esters
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 33/068 containing glycidyl groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 81/02 Polythioethers; Polythioether-ethers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/139 Open-ended, self-supporting conduit, cylinder, or tube-type article

Abstract

Blow molded articles are made from a polymeric composition containing a polyphenylene sulfide resin. The composition can further contain a reinforcing agent, such as glass fibers, and a combination of an organosilane coupling agent and an impact modifier. It was discovered that the combination of the aminosilane coupling agent and the impact modifier substantially increased the low shear viscosity and melt strength of the composition without increasing the high shear viscosity of the composition. The increase in the low shear viscosity makes the composition particularly well suited to molding articles with a complex shape. When producing blow molded articles, for instance, the composition provides better control over wall thickness while having improved interior surface smoothness at higher throughput and extrusion rates.

Claims

1. A shaped polymer article comprising:

a blow molded hollow member including an interior surface and an exterior surface and having a wall thickness between the interior surface and the exterior surface, the hollow member being made from a fiber reinforced polymeric composition comprising on a weight percent basis;

a) a linear polyphenylene sulfide having a melt viscosity of from about 20 Pa·

s to about 500 Pa·

s;

b) reinforcing fibers present in the composition in an amount from about 10% to about 50% by weight;

c) an organosilane coupling agent present in the composition in an amount from about 0.1% to about 2% by weight;

d) a reactive impact modifier reactive with the organosilane coupling agent, the reactive impact modifier being present in an amount from about 0.5% to an upper limit whereby the shaped article exhibits a DTUL of at least 200°

C. and a low shear melt viscosity measured at 1 s<sup>−

1</sup> of from 15,000 Pa·

s to 85,000 Pa·

s at 310°

C. measured with a Kayaness capillary rheometer.

2. A shaped polymer article as defined in claim 1, wherein the impact modifier is present in the fiber reinforced polymeric composition such that a slope of the log melt viscosity measured between 1 s⁻

1 and 400 s<sup>−

1</sup> using a Kayaness capillary rheometer at 310°

C. is decreased by at least 20% in comparison to a similar composition not containing the impact modifier.

3. A shaped polymer article as defined in claim 1, wherein the impact modifier comprises a random copolymer of a polyolefin and glycidyl methacrylate.

4. A shaped polymer article as defined in claim 3, wherein the impact modifier comprises a random copolymer of polyethylene and the glycidyl methacrylate, the glycidyl methacrylate being present in the impact modifier in an amount from about 6% to about 10% by weight.

5. A shaped polymer article as defined in claim 1, wherein the organosilane coupling agent comprises an aminosilane.

6. A shaped polymer article as defined in claim 5, wherein the aminosilane comprises 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane or comprises 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane.

7. A shaped polymer article as defined in claim 2, wherein the slope of the log melt viscosity versus the log shear rate is less than −

0.45.

8. A shaped polymer article as defined in claim 2, wherein the slope of the log melt viscosity versus the log shear rate is from −

0.5 to −

0.7.

9. A shaped polymer article as defined in claim 1, wherein the fiber reinforced polymeric composition has a melt viscosity of from about 20,000 Pa·

s to about 30,000 Pa·

s at 1 s<sup>−

1</sup> at 310°

C. when measured using a Kayaness capillary rheometer.

10. A shaped polymer article as defined in claim 1, wherein the impact modifier is present in the fiber reinforced polymeric composition such that a slope of the log melt viscosity measured between 1 s⁻

1 and 400 s<sup>−

1</sup> using a Kayaness capillary rheometer at 310°

C. is decreased by at least 30% in comparison to a similar composition not containing the impact modifier.

11. A shaped polymer article as defined in claim 1, wherein the composite polymeric composition has a melt viscosity of greater than 7,500 Pa·

s at 0.1 radian/s at 310°

C. and greater than 4,000 Pa·

s at 1.0 radian/s at 310°

C. when measured using an Ares parallel plate rheometer.

12. A shaped polymer article as defined in claim 1, wherein the article has an impact strength according to the notched Izod impact test of at least about 7 kJ/m².

13. A shaped polymer article as defined in claim 1, wherein the article comprises a tubular member that angles in multiple directions, the tubular member having a wall thickness of from about 2 mm to about 6 mm.

14. A shaped polymer article as defined in claim 1, wherein the fiber reinforced polymeric composition has a melt viscosity of from about 600 Pa·

s to about 1200 Pa·

s at 400 s<sup>−

1</sup> at 316°

C.