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The physical-mechanical behavior of compatible polymer blends based on poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), thermoplastic polyester polyurethane (TPU) and polyethylene-co-n butyl acrylate-co-CO (ENBACO) has been investigated. In particular, the influence of the composition on thermal stability and mechanical performance such as tensile characteristics, specific gravity, hardness and abrasion resistance has been evaluated and plotted by means of 3-D graphics. By analyzing the experimental results by means of the "ECHIP" computer program, it has been possible to optimize the composition of the mixture in order to obtain a material with the best performance/cost ratio for a specific application. An example of industrial application in the footwear industry was reported. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Blending PVC with other polymers has proven to be a viable approach in developing higher performance flexible PVC-based materials with a potential for more extensive applications, traditionally dominated by rubbers and thermoplastic elastomers. Miscibility in polyvinyl chloride (PVC)/thermo-plastic polyester polyurethane (TPU)/poly(ethylene-co-normal butyl acrylate-co-carbon monoxide) (ENBACO) ternary polymer blends, was assessed by means of dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis techniques. Experimental design was performed by using a software program called "ECHIP" that makes it possible to perform statistically designed experiments with a minimum number of trials. The results confirmed total miscibility in the composition range examined:30% <%PVC < 60%, 0% <%TPU < 40%%ENBACO = 100 - (%PVC +%TPU)Because of the differences in the physical properties of polymer materials used to blend with PVC, research on the most suitable process parameters to achieve miscible blends without degrading them revealed a rather narrow processing window. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]