Melting behavior and thermal properties of high density polythylene

Abstract Thermal diffusivity of high density polyethylene (HDPE) was studied over a wide range of temperatures (25 to 200°C) by melting powdered HDPE in a cylindrical mold at several pressures (101.3 to 5065 KPa gage) and recording the temperature profiles at several radial positions. The energy equation was solved numerically for cylindrical geometry. The thermal diffusivity of HDPE was fit as a function of temperature, porosity, and pressure.