Kinking in the drawing of linear polyethylene

The structure of oriented films of linear polyethylene drawn to an extent such that whitening sets in has been investigated using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The whitening of the samples was shown to be related to kink band formation. Problems involved in the formation and development of kinks during drawing and their relation to the supermolecular structure of oriented films are discussed. It was found that the process of kinking led to the occurrence of a large number of submicroscopic and microscopic cracks which cause breaking of the samples in the process of drawing.