Rheological behavior of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene semidilute solutions. II. Effect of aluminium stearate

The effect of aluminium stearate on the rheological behavior of ultra‐high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) semidilute solutions with paraffin oil as the solvent has been investigated. Adding aluminium stearate to paraffin oil can prevent the spinning solution from adhering to the pipe or screw, greatly improving the flow behavior of UHMWPE solutions. The geometric sizes of spinnerette hole, such as length–diameter ratio L/D and entrance angle of a capillary, also affect the flow behavior of the spinning solution. The calculated first normal stress difference σ 11 − σ 22 and the Bagley‐end correction e from experimental data show that the elastic effect on spinning solutions in flow is quite large, although the shear rate is below 20 s −1 .