Molecular structure, morphology, and antioxidant‐ consumption in polybutene‐1 pipes in hot‐water applications

Abstract

AbstractPipes of isotactic polybutene‐1 (PB) have been exposed to internal water and external air in pressure tests at 105°C. The pipes exposed to different internal pressures exhibited different failure mechanisms, referred to as stages I, II, and III. Samples taken from these pipes have been analyzed by infrared (IR) spectroscopy, wide‐angle X‐ray scattering (WAXS), size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). IR spectroscopy and WAXS confirmed that thermal oxidation of the amorphous part of the polymer accompanied the onset of stage III. Thermal oxidation led to extensive molar mass reduction and to a significant increase in mass crystallinity and melting peak temperature. Extensive and visible degradation in pipes failing according to stage III was confined to so‐called “oxidation spots.” The latter were first formed at the outer wall and propagated inwards, finally constituting approximately 50% of the wall thickness. The antioxidant concentration profiles obtained by DSC were always symmetrical and were successfully adapted to a previously developed model. It was shown that migration of the antioxidant was the dominant loss mechanism, that the diffusion coefficient was constant through the pipe wall, and that the evaporative loss to the external air was marginally greater than the loss to the internal water phase. Chemical consumption of the antioxidant was found to be negligible.