Table 3.
Melt processing characteristics of PEG-plasticized PLA and its composites.
| Sample | TQmax1 (Nm) | TQ1min (Nm) | TQmax2 (Nm) | TQ5min (Nm) | TQfinal (Nm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLA/PEG | 12.9 | 0.9 | - | 7.3 | 6.5 |
| PLA/PEG/3CS | 8.8 | 1.7 | 11.0 | 6.5 | 6.0 |
| PLA/PEG/6CS | 6.6 | 1.4 | 12.1 | 7.6 | 6.2 |
| PLA/PEG/0.5R | 10.1 | 2.8 | - | 7.3 | 5.7 |
| PLA/PEG/3CS/0.5R | 8.7 | 1.5 | 10.6 | 6.1 | 5.9 |
| PLA/PEG/6CS/0.5R | 9.5 | 2.8 | 12.6 | 7.1 | 5.5 |
TQmax1, maximum torque; TQ1min, torque after one minute of mixing; TQmax2, maximum torque after 1.5 min of mixing; TQ5min, torque after 5 min of mixing (half processing time); TQfinal, torque at the end of mixing.