Radiation effects of UHMW-PE fibre on gel fraction and mechanical properties

The effect of gamma ray irradiation on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) fibre was investigated for the change of gel fraction, mechanical properties, and morphology of crystallites. In the case of irradiation in air, the oxidation was limited to the fibre surface where the gel fraction decreased by chain scission, and the depth of the oxidation area from the surface was estimated to be 2 μm. Tensile tests showed similar stress–strain curves for irradiation in vacuum or in air, but the elongation at break decreased more obviously for irradiation in air. The oxidation products, such as carboxylic acids, were detected by FTIR measurement. However, the DSC and XRD analyses indicated little change of crystallinity on irradiation in vacuum or in air. The oxidation was limited to a thin surface area on irradiation in air due to a low migration rate of the radicals trapped in the crystallite in the UHMW-PE fibre.