Full Factorial Design Analysis on Mechanical Properties of Electron Beam Irradiated-Flame Retarded LDPE/EVA Composites

This study aims to investigate the effect of three factors, namely alumina trihydrate (ATH), montmorillonite (MMT) and irradiation dosage on the mechanical properties (tensile strength and elongation at break) of flame-retarded LDPE-EVA composites. In this study, full factorial design analysis was used to examine the effects of factors and their combination interactions on mechanical properties. ATH is the most significant factor in affecting the tensile strength of LDPE-EVA blends due to the poor compatibility effect between ATH particles and LDPE-EVA matrix. However, MMT is the least significant factor on tensile strength of LDPE-EVA composites. ATH was the most significant in affecting the elongation at break of LDPE-EVA blends. This is because the increasing of ATH amount in LDPE-EVA matrix could restrict the mobolity of polymer chains in LDPE-EVA matrix. However, the factor of irradiation dosage was found to be insignificant in affecting the elongation at break of LDPE-EVA blends.