Electron irradiation of polyurethane: Some FTIR results and a comparison with a EGS4 simulation

In this paper, investigations have been carried out on electron beam irradi ated thermoplastic and aromatic polyurethane (PU). The changes in chemical structure after irradiation were determined using FTIR spectroscopy. This s tudy has allowed us to highlight polymer degradation versus depth and dose by following the decrease in the NH-bond intensity. The PU oxidation was al so studied by following the appearance of OH bonds. Results showed that deg radation and oxidation of the PU reaches a maximum between 150 and 250 mu m . These effects are quantifiable up to 500 mu m. Experimental results were compared with the distribution of the energy deposition simulated by the EG S4- PRESTA code. Our experimental results are in strong accordance with the simulation. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.