Abstract: Mechanical properties of polyethylene(PE)/waste tire rubber powder (WARP) blends werestudied. When raw WARP was introduced, the tensile strength and notched impact strength of PE were obviously decreased. the surface of WARP was treated with an activator and mixed with 0.1 phr of dicumyl peroxide(DCP)，5 phr of a compatibihzer (A171 grafted high density polyethylene)，the tensile strength increased from 14.4 MPa to 20.7 MPa, and the notched impact strength increased from 14.8 kJ/m2 to 39.6 kJ/m2.the degree of surface activation of WARP was characterized by gel content.

Key words: polyethylene, waste tire rubber powder, activation, compatibilizer, mechanical property