Aging of HDPE Pipes Exposed to Diesel Lubricant

• Published in: Polymer-plastics technology and engineering Vol. 50; no. 15; pp. 1594 - 1599
• Main Authors: Torres, Amélia H. U., d'Almeida, José R. M., Habas, Jean-Pierre
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA Taylor & Francis Group 01.11.2011; Taylor & Francis; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Aging; Applied sciences; Chemical Sciences; Diesel; Diesel fuels; Diffusion; Diffusion rate; Exact sciences and technology; Fittings; Forms of application and semi-finished materials; FTIR; HDPE; Lubricants; Mathematical models; Molecular weight; Oil derivatives; Pipe; Pipes; Polyethylenes; Polymer industry, paints, wood; Polymers; Studies; Technology of polymers; Thermogravimetry; Tubes; Chemical resistance; Diesel fuel; Thermal ageing; High density ethylene polymer; Thermogravimetry; Temperature effect; Pipe; Experimental study; Structure relaxation; HDPE; FTIR; Artificial ageing; Aging; Oil derivatives; Olefin polymer; Chemical properties; Exposure time; Diffusion; Pipes
• ISSN: 0360-2559; 1525-6111
• DOI: 10.1080/03602559.2011.578297

The effects caused upon the physicochemical behavior of high-density polyethylene pipes by exposure to a diesel lubricant were investigated, as a function of time and temperature, by thermogravimetric and gravimetric analysis and by FT-IR. The gravimetric data were satisfactorily described using Fick's law. The fitting of the experimental points showed that diesel, which can be regarded as a model fluid to analyze the effects caused by aromatic unities present in oil derivatives, has a high diffusion rate into HDPE. The FT-IR results showed that no main structural modifications have occurred after exposure, besides solubilization of low molecular weight units. From the analysis performed, physical aging was identified as the aging process occurring when the HDPE pipes came in contact with diesel lubricant.