Abstract

Since polyethylene (PE) has been widely accepted for the production of high-pressure fluid conveying pipelines, studies devoted to weldability of PE connections were always of major importance. In this study, two industrial PE grades designed for pipe production, namely PE80 and PE100, were injection molded, cut, and then welded as PE100-PE100, PE100-PE80, and PE80-PE80. The heat-welded joints were assessed by differential scanning calorimetry and tensile measurements. The results obtained from thermal and mechanical analyses were compared with equivalents for aged samples. Thermal analysis revealed that the melting point of the PE100-PE100 sample is obviously larger than the one for the PE80-PE80 joint, for the PE80 chains deteriorate the crystallization of PE100. Further, the PE80-PE80 sample showed the lowest lamellar thickness and crystalline molecular weight among the studied joints. The aging process was found to increase lamellar thickness and molecular weight, though in the PE100-PE100 sample such quantities very limitedly increased. The yield stress of aged joints was higher than that for just-prepared samples, while an inverse trend was seen for strain at break. From a practical viewpoint, the PE100-PE100 welds offer better properties. From a practical viewpoint, the PE100-PE100 welds offer better properties.