Material BehaviourToughness behavior of gamma-irradiated polycarbonate

The toughness behavior of polycarbonate sheets was investigated, before and after gamma irradiation in air, using physicochemical (determination of viscosity-average molecular weight and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) and mechanical (tensile and fracture toughness) tests. The failure mechanisms were analyzed by microscopy and related to the test results. It was found that, as the gamma irradiation dose is increased, there is a decrease in the molecular weight and an increase in the chain scission on carbonyl groups, as detected by infrared spectroscopy analysis. The mechanical properties of polycarbonate were affected by gamma irradiation, showing that polycarbonate presents a ductile-to-brittle transition as radiation dose increases, as confirmed by fractographic analysis. These results are presented and discussed.