TY - CONF A1 - von der Ehe, Kerstin A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Böhning, Martin A1 - Goering, Harald T1 - Radiation induced structural changes of (U)HMW polyethylene with regard to its application for radiation shielding T2 - PATRAM 2010 - 16th International symposium on the packaging and transport of radioactive materials (Proceedings) N2 - The special properties of high molecular weight polyethylene (HMW-PE) and ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) result basically from their extreme chain lengths and their high degree of crystallinity. As high-performance polymers, they are used for a variety of applications. UHMW-PE in particular is often utilized for endoprothesis (due to its excellent slip and wear properties) and due to its high hydrogen content as a neutron moderator in casks for storage and transport of radioactive materials. To prepare the material for instance for its use as a total joint replacement, it is exposed to radiation for several reasons, such as sterilization and crosslinking, leading to partial improvement of the mechanical properties (e.g. fracture toughness, crack propagation resistance, wear resistance) and better chemical stability. To be applicable for long term radiation shielding purposes for instance over a period of 40 years, PE has to withstand any type of degradation affecting safety relevant aspects. The scope of our investigation comprises an estimation of the radiation impact on the molecular and supra molecular structure of two types of PE and to what extent these changes are detectable by thermo-analytical (TA) methods, such as Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Thermo Mechanical Analysis (TMA), Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) and Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). Additionally FT-IR spectroscopy as well as density and gas sorption measurements were carried out. Due to the poor solubility of HMW-PE and UHMW-PE, some classical analytical techniques are not applicable. But TA-methods represent a feasible approach to detect structural and morphological features of these materials as well as changes caused by external influences, such as thermal treatment and/or irradiation. With the combination of the applied TA-techniques it is possible to distinguish between crosslinking and degradation. T2 - PATRAM 2010 - 16th International symposium on the packaging and transport of radioactive materials CY - London, UK DA - 2010-10-03 PY - 2010 UR - https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-bam/frontdoor/index/index/docId/24621 AN - OPUS4-24621 SP - 1 EP - 8 (T25/Paper 173) AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany