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UHMW-PE - a shielding material with special properties influenced by radiation

  • Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) - due to its high hydrogen content - is used as neutron shielding material in casks for storage and transport of radioactive materials. Besides this, UHMW-PE - as a high-performance polymer - has been used for several years in medical technology due to its excellent slip and wear properties. Due to the special properties of UHMW-PE which result basically from its extreme chain lengths and its high degree of crystallinity, it is predestinated for the aforementioned applications. In both cases, irradiation and its impact on the molecular structure of polyethylene play an important role. In the first case, irradiation exists as a by-product of inserting the radioactive material in the cask. Hence PE has to withstand any type of degradation affecting safety relevant aspects to be applicable for long term radiation shielding purposes for instance over a period of 40 years. In the second case irradiation is applied deliberately for purposesUltra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) - due to its high hydrogen content - is used as neutron shielding material in casks for storage and transport of radioactive materials. Besides this, UHMW-PE - as a high-performance polymer - has been used for several years in medical technology due to its excellent slip and wear properties. Due to the special properties of UHMW-PE which result basically from its extreme chain lengths and its high degree of crystallinity, it is predestinated for the aforementioned applications. In both cases, irradiation and its impact on the molecular structure of polyethylene play an important role. In the first case, irradiation exists as a by-product of inserting the radioactive material in the cask. Hence PE has to withstand any type of degradation affecting safety relevant aspects to be applicable for long term radiation shielding purposes for instance over a period of 40 years. In the second case irradiation is applied deliberately for purposes 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. Specifically concerning their use in the field of medical technology, different types of UHMW-PE have been objects of numerous publications. It is generally accepted that two parallel and competitive processes, based on chain scission and reactions of Ccentered radicals and molecular fragments, occur in PE as a consequence of radiation: radical recombination accounts for crosslinking, together with some disproportionation, formation of low molecular weight fragments, and recrystallization. Furthermore, formation of oxygenated structures in the presence of traces of oxygen is an antagonist of the C-centered radicals. Radiation induced scission preferentially takes place in the amorphous phase and noncrystalline surface of the crystals. It is followed by folding of molecular fragments, crystallinity growth and increased perfection in the crystal lamellae [4, 5]. Chain scission results in shorter polymer molecules, fewer entanglements, and consequently, increased molecular mobility. The scope of our investigation comprises an estimation of the radiation and thermal impact on the molecular and supra molecular structure of the two types of PE used for neutron shielding cask components. A further point which is worth to explore is 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 Thermogravimetry (TG). Additionally FT-IR and solubility measurements have been performed. In our studies we focused on the UHMW-PE material GUR 4120 which was y irradiated at RT and compared to the untreated material.zeige mehrzeige weniger

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Metadaten
Autor*innen:Kerstin von der Ehe, Matthias JaunichORCiD, Dietmar Wolff
Dokumenttyp:Beitrag zu einem Tagungsband
Veröffentlichungsform:Graue Literatur
Sprache:Englisch
Titel des übergeordneten Werkes (Englisch):Jahrestagung Kerntechnik 2011 (Proceedings)
Jahr der Erstveröffentlichung:2011
Herausgeber (Institution):Deutsches Atomforum e.V. / Kerntechnische Gesellschaft e.V.
Erste Seite:1
Letzte Seite:5
Veranstaltung:Jahrestagung Kerntechnik 2011
Veranstaltungsort:Berlin, Germany
Beginndatum der Veranstaltung:17.05.2011
Enddatum der Veranstaltung:19.05.2011
Verfügbarkeit des Dokuments:Datei im Netzwerk der BAM verfügbar ("Closed Access")
Datum der Freischaltung:19.02.2016
Referierte Publikation:Nein
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