The Influence of Plasticizer Nature and of Processing Mode Upon the Characteristics of Flexible Poly(vinyl chloride) Composites

The topic of this paper refers to the influence of the plasticizer and the processing mode upon the characteristics of the poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) composites. Thereby, in this study two types of industrial plasticizers were used to highlight their influence upon the properties of final composites. The employed lubricant was stearic acid, the most common and cheapest additive used in the industry for cables manufacturing. For economic reasons, calcium carbonate of 2 mu m size was used as reinforcing agent. Further on, two sets of samples were prepared, targeting the influence of the processing mode upon the properties of final composites. Beside the structure (by FT-infrared), thermal behavior (thermal analyses and differential scanning calorimetry) and mechanical properties (dynamic mechanical analyses, tensile strength and elongation at break) of PVC composites, the limiting oxygen index (LOI) and the overall morphology of the samples were also investigated.