PHOTO-CROSS-LINKING OF POLYETHYLENE FOR PRODUCTION OF THIN WALL INSULATED WIRE

A photocrosslinking process for polyethylene and its industrial irradi ation apparatus has recently been developed and used successfully in t he manufacture of thin wall crosslinked polyethylene-insulated wires. Polyethylene (PE) resin with the desired amounts of additives, such as photoinitiator, multifunctional crosslinker, and antioxidant is mixed homogeneously. The admixture of PE is granulated, and then extruded o n a conductor wire. The coated PE layer in the melt is subsequently ir radiated in a specially designed UV irradiation apparatus for 5 to 10 s. The studies show that the photocrosslinked PE-insulation high volta ge television wires produced by this new technique possess excellent e lectrical and mechanical properties and much lower operating cost comp ared with wires produced by the electron beam crosslinking technique.