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Laboratory simulation of space and salt water environmental effects on polymers
Author(s) -
Garton Andrew,
Henry Jacqueline L.,
McLean Paul D.,
Stevenson William T. K.
Publication year - 1989
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.760290106
Subject(s) - polymer , chain scission , thermal oxidation , materials science , yield (engineering) , thermal , salt (chemistry) , chemical engineering , composite material , organic chemistry , chemistry , thermodynamics , engineering , physics , layer (electronics)
Most polymers are eroded rapidly (>0.1 μm/h) in the low earth orbit (LEO) environment when facing the direction of flight. The rate of erosion varies little with the polymer type, except for fluoropolymers and silicones. Methods for simulating such an environment are reviewed. Secondly, the oxidation lifetime of stabilized and unstabilized polyolefins can be reduced 50 to 90 percent, with a, high yield of carboxylic acid (i.e. chain scission) oxidation products, when thermal oxidation at 70 to 90°C takes place in 0.01 to 0.1 molar sodium chloride solutions, as compared to thermal oxidation in air. Both sets of observations illustrate the need for detailed mechanistic investigations before accelerated test procedures can be developed to predict material lifetime.