Photodegradation of UHMWPE Filled with Iron Ore Fine

• Published in: Materials research (São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil) Vol. 20; no. 2; pp. 356 - 364
• Main Authors: Morais, Frederick Louis Dias de, Medeiros, Felipe da Silva, Silva, Glaura Goulart, Rabello, Marcelo Silveira, Sousa, Alexandre Rangel de
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Portuguese
• Published: Sao Carlos Universidade Federal do Sao Carlos, Departamento de Engenharia de Materiais 01.03.2017; ABM, ABC, ABPol; Associação Brasileira de Metalurgia e Materiais (ABM); Associação Brasileira de Cerâmica (ABC); Associação Brasileira de Polímeros (ABPol)
• Subjects: Abrasion resistance; ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL; Fillers; Impact resistance; Impact strength; Iron compounds; Iron ore fine; Iron ores; MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY; Mechanical properties; METALLURGY & METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING; Modulus of elasticity; Molecular chains; Necking; Photodegradation; Polymer matrix composites; Strain hardening; UHMWPE; Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene; Ultraviolet radiation; X-ray diffraction; Photodegradation; UHMWPE; Iron ore fine
• ISSN: 1516-1439; 1980-5373; 1980-5373
• DOI: 10.1590/1980-5373-mr-2016-0320

Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is one of the most important engineering materials owing to outstanding properties like impact strength and abrasion resistance. However, the relatively low Young´s modulus restricts some application and the use of fillers may be a suitable way to overcome this. The fillers can influence the photo stabilization of the compound, as it occurs to other polymers. Neat UHMWPE and its composites with 1 and 10% of iron ore fine were exposed to ultraviolet radiation for up to 33 days and then tested for mechanical properties. The stress-strain behaviour changed with degradation, with an evident necking and strain hardening region that was not observed before exposure, due to a reduction in entanglements density. From the tensile results, the filler may have a protection action against UV, particularly when a loading of 10% was present. Complementary analyses were performed, including X-ray diffraction, DSC and SEM.