COURSE CODE

: JF302

COURSE

: MATERIAL TECHNOLOGY

TOPIC

: POLYETHYLENE

LECTURER NAME

: PUAN NORMAH BINTI ISHAK

STUDENT NAME DANIEL SALSABIL BIN DARMIS MOHD KHAIRULHILMI BIN MOHD TAJUDIN ERIZALDI BIN YUSNEL
MUHAMMAD AFIQ BIN MOHD RASHIDI

MATRIC NO 01DKM12F2041 01DKM12F2038 01DKM12F2046 01DKM12F2030

JABATAN

: JABATAN KEJURUTERAAN MEKANIKAL

CONTENT

TITLE POLYETHYLENE APPLICATIONS OF POLYETHYLENE CHARACTERISTICS OF POLYETHYLENE PROCESS OF POLYETHYLENE DISADVANTAGE OF POLYETHYLENE PRODUCTS OF POLYETHYLENE

PAGE 1 2 3 4 5 6

POLYETHYLENE
This plastic came to the fore during the World War II years, first as an underwater cable coating, then as a critical insulating material for such vital military applications as radar cable. It was not until the end of the war that the plastic was taken off allocation and freed for consumer use. From that point on, its rise in popularity for both consumer and industrial uses was so spectacular that polyethylene became the first plastic in the U.S. to sell more than 1 billion pounds a year. Today, it is still the largest volume plastic in the United States; in fact, it is the largest in the world. Applications for polyethylenes are many and varied, including: packaging films; trash, garment, grocery and shopping bags; molded housewares; toys; containers; pipe; drums; gasoline tanks; coatings and many others. Polyethylenes are thermoplastic resins obtained by polymerizing the gas ethylene [C2H4]. Low molecular weight polymers of ethylene are fluids used as lubricants; medium weight polymers are waxes miscible with paraffin; and the high molecular weight are the materials used in the plastics industry. Polymers with densities ranging from about .910 to .925 are called low density; those of densities from .926 to .940 are called medium density; and those from .941 to .965 and over are called high density. The low density types are polymerized at very high pressures and temperatures, and the high density types at relatively low temperatures and pressures. A relatively new type called linear low density polyethylene is manufactured through a variety of processes: gas phase, solution, slurry, or high pressure conversion. A high efficiency catalyst system aids in the polymerization of ethylene and allows for lower temperatures and pressures than those required in making conventional low density polyethylene. Copolymers of ethylene with vinyl acetate, ethyl acrylate, and acrylic acid are commercially important.

APPLICATIONS OF POLYETHYLENE
Polyethylene (abbreviated PE) or polythene (IUPAC name polyethene or poly(methylene)) is the most common plastic. The annual global production is approximately 80 million tonnes.[1] Its primary use is in packaging (plastic bag, plastic films, geomembranes, containers includingbottles, etc.). Many kinds of polyethylene are known, with most having the chemical formula (C2H4)nH2. Thus PE is usually a mixture of similar organic compounds that differ in terms of the value of n.

POLYETHYLENE The repeating unit of polyethylene in the most stable staggered conformation.

ETHYLENE

CHARACTERISTICS OF POLYETHYLENE

Light weight Broad-service temperature Excellent process ability High-impact strength Excellent chemical resistance Excellent weather ability Soft and stiff(depending on density) Taste free, odor free and toxic free applicable to food contact applications. Excellent heat seal ability Good heat stability Low permeability of water. Excellent low temperature properties Low cost

PROCESS OF POLYETHYLENE

MONOMER
The ingredient or monomer is ethylene (IUPAC name ethene), a gaseous hydrocarbon with the formula C2H4, which can be viewed as a pair of methylene groups (=CH 2) connected to each other. Because the catalysts are highly reactive, the ethylene must be of high purity. Typical specifications are <5 ppm for water, oxygen, as well as other alkenes. Acceptable contaminants include N2, ethane (common precursor to ethylene), and methane. Ethylene is usually produced from petrochemical sources, but also is generated by dehydration of ethanol.

POLYMERIZATION
Ethylene is a rather stable molecule that polymerizes only upon contact with catalysts. The conversion is highly exothermic, that is the process releases a lot of heat. Coordination polymerization is the most pervasive technology, which means that metal chlorides or metal oxides are used. The most common catalysts consist of titanium(III) chloride, the socalled Ziegler-Natta catalysts. Another common catalyst is the Phillips catalyst, prepared by depositing chromium(VI) oxide on silica. EQthylene can be produced through radical polymerization, but this route has only limited utility and typically requires high pressure apparatus.

DISADVANTAGES OF POLYETHYLENE

High thermal expansion Poor weathering resistance Subject to stress cracking Difficult to bond Flammable Poor temperature capability Nonrenewable source Contributes greatly to pollution in the oceans Plastic bags can suffocate All plastics are petroleum based products. I.e. They come from oil Produces a highly toxic fume when burnt Most plastics end up in landfill or marine sources

POLYETHELENE PRODUCTS

Plastic Bag

Surgical Glove

Toys

Pipe Rope Tape

Water Bottle

Safety Helmet Wire Cable

Car Seat