UHMW-PE FIBER AS REINFORCING MATERIALS IN EPDM RUBBER VULCANIZED BY E-BEAM RADIATION

Ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM) was reinforced with differe nt concentrations of Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene chopped fiber (Spectra(TM) 1000). The reinforced samples were vulcanized using different doses of E-Beam radiation. It was found that E-Beam radiati on improves the interfacial adhesion between UHMW-PE fiber and EPDM ma trix which was detected by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addi tion the Young's modulus of the composites increases as irradiation do se increases. Increasing the concentration of the fibers up to 40 phr leads to an enhancement in mechanical properties and swelling resistan ce of obtained composites, especially in the absence of carbon black. In contrast, the tensile strength of EPDM loaded with carbon black dec reased as fiber concentration increased even though the other mechanic al properties were improved. Although the tensile strength decreased w ith increasing fiber concentrations, the absolute value of the tensile strength increased by at least three fold with the addition of carbon black.