Neat UHMWPE filament wound composites by crosslinking compaction

A novel hot compacted crosslinked filament wound structure was prepared form Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene fibres, characterized and shown to possess improved properties. Three different compaction temperatures (140°C, 145°C and 150°C) were tested for both crosslinked and non-crosslinked control systems. The optimal temperature for the hot compaction process was selected on the basis of maximum fibre skin melting for better fibre-fibre fusion and tensile strength, combined with minimum core melting for higher Young's modulus. The crosslinked compacts exhibited better mechanical properties than the non-crosslinked ones; for example, for compacts prepared at 145°C the tensile strength was higher by about 55% and the Young's modulus by about 36%, respectively. The improvement was attributed to stronger fibre-fibre bonding via the crosslinked network formed at their skins. From the chemical surface analysis it could be concluded that some 43% of the C-H groups at the fibre surface turned into C-C bonds as a result of the crosslinking compaction process.