| Abstract: | A numerical method has been employed to calculate crystallization temperature as a function of position in slabs or films of polyethylene quenched to various temperatures. The method is iterative, and combines a recent theoretical fit to empirical data for rate of crystal growth as a function of temperature with a solution to the thermal diffusion equation which takes latent heat into account. Results apply strictly only to transcrystalline regions near external surfaces but also provide lower limits to crystallization temperatures throughout the interiors of samples where spherulites nucleate ahead of the general crystallization front. Emphasis is given to assessing the relative importance of various physical parameters in determining crystallization temperatures. |
