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Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (ultra + high_molecular_weight_polyethylene)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Polymers and Materials Science	70%

Selected Abstracts

Effect of long-term natural aging on the thermal, mechanical, and viscoelastic behavior of biomedical grade of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene

JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 1 2010
H. Fouad
Abstract In the total joint prostheses, Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) may undergo an oxidative degradation in the long term. The overall properties of UHMWPE are expected to be altered due to the oxidative degradation. The goal of this study is to investigate the effects of natural aging up to 6 years in air on the thermal, mechanical, and viscoelastic properties of UHMWPE that was used in total joint replacement. The changes in UHMWPE properties due to aging are determined using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), uniaxial tensile tests, and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA). The DSC results show that the lamellar thickness and degree of crystallinity of UHMWPE specimens increase by 38% and 12% due to aging. A small shoulder region in the DSC thermograms is remarked for aged specimens, which is an indication of formation of new crystalline forms within their amorphous region. The tensile properties of aged and nonaged UHMWPE specimens show a significant decrease in the elastic modulus, yield, fracture stresses, and strain at break due to aging. The DM testing results indicate that the storage modulus and creep resistance of UHMWPE specimens decrease significantly due to aging. Also, it is remarked that the , relaxation peak for aged UHMWPE specimens occurs at lower temperature compared to nonaged ones. The significant reduction in the strength and creep resistance of UHMWPE specimens due to aging would affect the long-term clinical performance of the total joint replacement and should be taken into consideration during artificial joint design. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010 [source]

Global Techniques for Characterizing Phase Transformations , A Tutorial Review

ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 6 2010
Michel Perez
To characterize phase transformations, it is necessary to get both local and global information. No experimental technique alone is capable of providing these two types of information. Local techniques are very useful to get information on morphology and chemistry but fail to deal with global information like phase fraction and size distribution since the analyzed volume is very limited. This is why, it is important to use, in parallel, global experimental techniques, that investigate the response of the whole sample to a stimulus (electrical, thermal, mechanical,). The aim of this paper is not to give an exhaustive list of all global experimental techniques, but to focus on a few examples of recent studies dealing with the characterization of phase transformations, namely (i) the measurement of the solubility limit of copper in iron, (ii) the tempering of martensite, (iii) the control of the crystallinity degree of a ultra high molecular weight polyethylene and (iii) a precipitation sequence in aluminum alloys. Along these examples, it will be emphasized that any global technique requires a calibration stage and some modeling to connect the measured signal with the investigated information. [source]

PE-UHMW in Hip Implants: Properties of Conventional and Crosslinked Prosthetic Components

ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 10 2009
Ruth Markut-Kohl
Hip implants made of crosslinked ultra high molecular weight polyethylene,PE-UHMW,(different as-received conditions) are compared with a retrieval made from non-crosslinked PE-UHMW and a control PE-UHMW. Oxidation leads to recrystallization and the enhanced crystallinity corresponds to higher hardness values. These structure-property relations are discussed for conventional PE-UHMW and also for crosslinked material. [source]

Modification of polypropylene by melt vibration blending with ultra high molecular weight polyethylene

ADVANCES IN POLYMER TECHNOLOGY, Issue 3 2002
Kejian Wang
Abstract A novel vibration internal mixer was used to prepare polypropylene/ultra high molecular weight polyethylene PP/UHMWPE blends with two additional adjustable processing parameters (vibration frequency and vibration amplitude) as compared with those prepared in the steady mode. Microscopy, mechanical tests, and differential scanning calorimetry showed that vibration influenced the blend morphology and the product properties. The good phase homogeneity of the blends might be due to the variation of shear rate either spatially or temporally in blending. Additionally, the vibration internal mixer could be used to analyze the dependency of viscosity on the shear rate. Vibration enhanced the interpenetration of UHMWPE into PP and vice versa. Subsequently, the formed crystals of two components were connected, and there was epitaxy between PP and UHMWPE crystals. Moreover, the crystalline aggregates, with the amorphous UHMWPE, formed a complex network-like continuous structure, which improved the elongation ratio at the break and the yield strength. The higher the vibration frequency and/or the larger the vibration amplitude at a fixed average rotation speed of the mixer, the more significant these effects were. The larger amount of the connected crystals, especially of , form of PP in the bulk , form PP as well as with the continuous phase structure, led to a higher tensile properties of PP/UHMWPE vibration blended. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 21: 164,176, 2002; Published online in Wiley Interscience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.10020 [source]

Effect of long-term natural aging on the thermal, mechanical, and viscoelastic behavior of biomedical grade of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene

Influence of fibre position on the flexural properties and strain energy of a fibre-reinforced composite

JOURNAL OF ORAL REHABILITATION, Issue 7 2003
A. Ellakwa
summary, The introduction of laboratory-processed composite systems and fibre reinforcement techniques have increased the possibilities for the prosthetic replacement of missing tooth tissues. Laboratory fabrication variables may significantly influence the properties of the final prosthesis. During the construction of a fibre-reinforced bridge it is necessary to place the fibre at some distance from the fitting surface of the restoration in the pontic region. No guidelines are available for optimal fibre placement in this respect. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of placing ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibre at five different distances from the tensile side of test samples on flexural properties and the strain energy stored within the dental composite. The results of this investigation showed that whilst moving the fibre reinforcement away from the tensile side by up to 1·5 mm led to a significant reduction in flexural strength, there was no significant decline in the increase in strain energy stored within the tested composite until this distance was exceeded. [source]

Experimental study of the friction and wear behaviour of a polymer disc/primer coating combination used in ball-joints by means of large-scale testing

LUBRICATION SCIENCE, Issue 2 2006
P. Samyn
Abstract The surfaces of a heavily loaded ball-joint were initially covered with a sliding spray, and suffer wear. A solution is found by incorporating ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) discs with a carbon fibre/epoxy reinforced ring as sliding material into the chairs of the structure. The ball side is covered with a zinc phosphate primer coating. For design purposes the local static and dynamic behaviour of the hybrid UHMWPE discs in contact with steel or Zn-coated counterfaces should be large-scale tested in terms of their loading capacity, low friction and wear resistance. Also the influence of creep and wear on friction is examined. After the large-scale verification tests in laboratory, a good correlation is found with a test in the field. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Chiroptical Properties of Terthiophene Chromophores Dispersed in Oriented and Unoriented Polyethylene Films

MACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, Issue 6 2004
Andrea Pucci
Abstract Summary: Two new chiral terthiophene chromophores II and III were prepared with 99% enantiomeric excess. Chiroptical properties of these dyes dispersed in ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) films were determined and compared with the same properties in solution. In the solid state, the optical activity strongly depends on the interaction mechanisms within small crystalline aggregates of chromophores. The film morphology and chromophore dispersion were also investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The good correlation between chromophore aggregation and chiroptical activity of the binary films promotes circular dichroism (CD) as an effective technique for monitoring the phase dispersion behaviour of dichroic dyes into polymer matrices. By mechanical stretching of the film a linearly dichroic orientation of the chromophores is obtained which results in a high degree of linear dichroism. The influence of the uniaxial orientation of terthiophene molecules along the drawing direction of UHMWPE on the chiroptical properties of the films, and the possible application of the oriented devices as linear polarizers are discussed. Absorption and CD spectra of unoriented UHMWPEII film at different rotation angles ,. [source]

A novel fabrication route for auxetic polyethylene, part 2: Mechanical properties

POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 7 2008
R.S. Webber
Auxetic ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has been fabricated by omitting the extrusion stage usually required to form the characteristic nodule-fibril microstructure of this material. This new route consists of compaction followed by multiple sintering treatments, with the best results using two successive sintering treatments. This article examines the mechanical properties of cylindrical compacts subjected to between one and four successive sintering treatments. The indentation resistance of the double-sintered material was found to be 2.5 times that of conventionally processed UHMWPE and similar to that found in the extruded form of auxetic polyethylene. The flexural strength and strain to failure increase dramatically with the first sintering treatment and then remain almost constant. This processing route has potential for the production of more complex, useful shapes than can currently be produced since it removes the limitations imposed by the geometry of the barrel required for the extrusion stage. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers [source]

Conductive composites of UHMWPE and ceramics based on the segregated network concept

POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 1 2000
J. Bouchet
The manufacturing of composites of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene and ceramics with conductive properties has been investigated. Attention has been focused on the lowering of the amount of filler necessary to achieve low resistivity. Using segregated networks, mixing large polymer particles and submicron metal or conductive ceramic particles may be an interesting route, provided that the processing method enables to generate the desired structures. Because sintering avoids the intimate blending of the components, it is a suitable technique for this aim. The combined effects of temperature, pressure and sintering time have been investigated. The influence of the blending of the solids on the covering of the polyethylene particles before the sintering has also been pointed out. The typical features related to the concept of a segregated network are discussed in connection with the morphologies of the polymer and ceramic particles. The successful application of the reduction of the percolation threshold by a segregated network in conductive composites of polymer and metallic particles is described. [source]