Claims
- 1. A method of preparing curable pellets of polyethylene and copolymers of polyethylene comprising the steps of:
- (a) fusing polymers such as polyethylene and copolymers thereof with fillers, lubricants and antitoxidants in a plasticating means until said fillers, lubricants and antioxidants are evenly dispersed throughout the polymers;
- (b) processing the final polymer, filler, lubricant, antioxidant mixture into pellets;
- (c) drying said pellets;
- (d) contacting and mixing said pellets with a stochiometric amount of a curing agent in an air fluid bed at a temperature below the softening point of said pellets and below the decomposition temperature of said curing agent with a continuous flow of turbulent air whereby said curing agent is coated upon and absorbed into said pellets.
- 2. The method of claim 1 further including the step of cooling the dried pellets of step (c) to a temperature of about 50.degree. C. prior to contacting said dried pellets with said curing agent.
- 3. The method of claim 1 wherein step (d) comprises blowing turbulent air through said pellets for from about four to about nine hours.
- 4. The method of claim 1 further including the step of cooling said pellets coated with curing agent to a temperature of no more than 25.degree. C. before storing said pellets.
- 5. The method of claim 1 further including heating the dried pellets to a temperature of from about 45.degree. C. to about 75.degree. C., spraying said pellets with from about 0.01 to about 10.0 percent by weight of an organic peroxide curing agent selected from a group consisting of dicumylperoxide and .alpha.,.alpha.-bis(t-butylperoxy)-diiopropyl benzene and simultaneously subjecting the mixture of pellets and organic peroxide to violent agitation with turbulent air.
- 6. The method of claim 1 wherein said pellets consist essentially of about 69.82 percent polyethylene, about 1.52 percent .alpha.,.alpha.-bis(t-butylperoxy)-diisopropyl benzene, about 0.345 percent polymerized-1,2,-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline, about 27.970 percent carbon black and about 0.345 percent zinc stearate.
- 7. The method of claim 1 wherein said pellets consist essentially of about 83.264 percent polyethylene, about 1.748 percent .alpha.,.alpha.-bis(t-butylperoxy)-diisopropyl benzene, about 0.416 percent 1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline, about 14.156 percent carbon black and about 0.416 percent zinc stearate.
- 8. The method of claim 1 wherein said pellets consist essentially of about 65.42 percent polyethylene, about 8.51 percent chlorinated polyethylene, about 5.23 percent antimony trioxide, about 18.45 percent clay, about 0.16 percent polymerized-1,2,-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethyl quinoline, about 0.26 lead oxide, about 0.33 percent zinc stearate and about 1.64 percent .alpha.,.alpha.-bis(t-butylperoxy)-diisopropyl benzene.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of a copending application Ser. No. 496,681, filed Aug. 12, 1974 now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
3578647 |
Gregorian |
May 1971 |
|
3639527 |
MacKenzie et al. |
Feb 1972 |
|
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
899,796 |
Jun 1962 |
UK |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
496681 |
Aug 1974 |
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