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Effect of nuclear radiation on the thermal conductivity of polyethylene
Author(s) -
Tomlinson J. N.,
Kline D. E.,
Sauer J. A.
Publication year - 1965
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.760050109
Subject(s) - materials science , thermal conductivity , irradiation , melting point , crystallite , polyethylene , conductivity , radiation , melting temperature , composite material , analytical chemistry (journal) , optics , chemistry , metallurgy , nuclear physics , organic chemistry , physics
Thermal conductivity curves for the 0°C to 170°C temperature region are presented for six irradiated low density polyethylene samples (radiation doses from 0 to 3100 megarads) and one irradiated high density sample (120 megarad dose). In agreement with data in the literature for unirradiated polyethylene, the thermal conductivity values for lightly irradiated polyethylene are found to decrease with increasing temperature in the elevated temperature region where the crystallites begin to melt. Beyond the crystalline melting point, test results for lightly irradiated and crosslinked samples indicate that the thermal conductivity is almost independent of temperature. Although radiation doses of less than 250 megarads produce only small changes in the thermal conductivity, higher radiation doses result in a significant lowering of the conductivity in the room temperature region and an increase of the conductivity at temperatures above the melting point. The decrease in conductivity at low temperatures is considered to be a result of disordering of the crystallites by the radiation, and the increase above the melting point is attributed primarily to radiation induced crosslinking.