Polymers of ethylene and, optionally, copolymerizable esters, films using such polymers and stretch hood packaging processes using such films

• Main Authors: STEFAN BERTIL OHLSSON, JEF VAES, BART LAUWERS, JAN C. DONCK
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 17.02.2005
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F,C08G; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; LAYERED PRODUCTS; LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT ORNON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM; MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVINGCARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS; METALLURGY; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; TRANSPORTING; WORKING-UP

The invention relates to a polymer comprising units derived from ethylene, said polymer having: a) a Melt Index of from 0.05 to 20 g/10 min as determined by ASTM-1238 Condition E; b) at least 10 per 1000 C-atoms of short chain branches, containing five carbon atoms or less, as determined by C13 NMR, and less than 3.5 mol %, of units derived from a copolymerizable ethylenically unsaturated ester, c) a density of from 0.90 to 0.94 g/cm 3 , preferably 0.91 to 0.935 g/cm 3 , especially 0.92 to 0.93 g/cm 3 as determined by ASTM D1505, and d) a relaxation time as described herein of at least 10 s. Such polymers are obtainable by polymerization by free radical polymerization using a chain transfer agent that incorporates into the polymer chain such as an alpha-olefin, preferably propylene, as a chain transfer agent, preferably in a tubular reactor under circumstances to favor LCB formation in a down stream part of the tubular reactor. The polymer may be used for stretch hood film, preferably as a blown film coextruded tube comprising: a) a core of the above polymer; and b) a skin layer, on each side of the core which may be of the same or different composition, comprising at least 60 wt % of an LLDPE having density of 0.91 to 0.94 g/cm 3 as determined by ASTM-D 1238 Condition E and hexane extractables less than 1.5 wt %, said skin layer containing less than 7500 ppm of anti-block particulates and said film having an elastic recovery after a 100 % stretch of at least 40 % and providing a normalized holding force per 100 µm thickness pre-stretch at 85 % stretch after an initial stretch of 100 % of at least 20 N/50 mm at a deformation rate of less than 10 % of the starting length per second.