Abstract
AbstractPolytetrafluoroethylene was irradiated in air, in a vacuum, at elevated temperature, in a nitrogen atmosphere, and in some combinations of these conditions. In all cases the plastic was found to degrade in its structural characteristics. Even the most favorable condition of irradiation (irradiation in vacuo) resulted in a 44% reduction of tensile strength at a dose of 2 Mrad. Polyvinylidene fluoride resisted radiation to at least 100 Mrad effectively. Polyvinyl fluoride was structurally degraded at this dose but retained its structural properties to at least 32 Mrad A cut‐through test under heat, comparing polytetrafluoroethylene with polyvinylidene fluoride and polyvinyl fluoride, showed: (a) Unirradiated polytetrafluoroethylene was most resistant to heat aging. (b) Irradiated and unirradiated polyvinylidene fluoride was inferior to irradiated polytetrafluoroethylene in heat resistance. (c) Irradiated polyvinyl fluoride was superior to irradiated polytetrafluoroethylene; polytetrafluoroethylene at 2 Mrad was inferior to polyvinyl fluoride at 32 Mrad in cut‐through testing. (d) Polyvinylidene fluoride Irradiated and unirradiated and polyvinyl fluoride and irradiated polytetrafluoroethylene all embrittled during heat testing.
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