In this study, we
used four amorphous poly-alpha-olefin (APAO)
grades to improve the toughness of drawn polypropylene (PP) tapes.
The samples containing different amounts of APAOs were drawn in a
heat chamber of a tensile testing machine. The APAOs reduced the work
of drawing and increased the melting enthalpy of the drawn specimens,
as they facilitated the movement of the PP molecules. The APAO with
the highest molecular weight and with a low level of crystallinity
increased both the tensile strength and the strain-at-break of the
specimens, so we also produced drawn tapes from that PP/APAO blend
on a continuous-operation stretching line. The continuously drawn
tapes also showed improved toughness.