ELECTRON-IRRADIATED ISOTROPIC POLYETHYLENE - STRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES OF ORIENTED MONOFILAMENTS PRODUCED BY DRAWING

The structure and properties of oriented (draw ratio 12:1) polyethylene filaments, produced by drawing electron-irradiated isotropic monofilament, have been studied by rubber elasticity measurements, x-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and tensile creep behavior. Irradiation dramatically affects the creep behavior, decreasing the equilibrium creep rate by up to four orders of magnitude. For all samples, the constant-flow behavior can be described by a combination of two activated processes in parallel: one associated with the amorphous network and the other with the crystalline regions. Irradiation increases the activation volume of the process occurring in the crystal and is ascribed to an increase in crystallite imperfections.