Structural changes in polyethylene induced by small deformations

Anisotrophy in thermal conductivity and small-angle light scattering have been measured with films made of high-density polyethylene. Polyethylene deformation obeys different mechanisms in the regions of small ( 1·2) elongations. Deformation of polyethylene is of a complex, orientational-deformational character with participation of different molecular and supermolecular structures. Measurement of anisotropy in thermal conductivity in dependence on degree of elongation has been developed as a new method for determining the orientation function of macromolecular chains in deformed polymer films.