The Preparation And Performance Of Ultra-high Molecular Weight Polyethylene With Anti-freezing Adhesive Characteristic

The freezing adhesion phenomenon at low temperature is an important issueaffecting the life of people, and the traditional ice removal techniques are both costlyand time-consuming, for example the artificial or mechanical percussion and the saltmethod. Therefore, the search for a low adhesive material has by far received the mostattention of any method pursued for lowering ice’s adhesive strength. Based on thestudy of the freezing adhesion phenomenon, polyethylene wax and LCP were used inthe filling modification of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene material.Different composite materials were made, the low temperature performance ofsubstrate material, the mechanical properties, the freezing adhesive performances andthe tribological properties of UHMWPE composites under different temperature werestudied. The main conclusions were listed as follows:1. The compressive strength (90.56MPa) and ball indentation hardness (28.89MPa) of the substrate material at ultra-low temperature (-195oC) were higher thanthat at room temperature (25oC), and the creep performances were lower, themaximum penetration depth was190um. The trend of the friction coefficient at roomtemperature had something in common with that at low temperature. During the sameload, the friction coefficient at low temperature was higher than that at roomtemperature. And the wear morphology showed that the sample at low temperatureshowed a typical feature of fatigue wear and abrasive wear, while at room temperatureit mainly for abrasive wear.2. The contact angle showed that the addition of polyethylene wax and LCP hadgood effect on the hydrophobic properties of UHMWPE, while the addition of PTFEhad no effect on the hydrophobic properties of UHMWPE. The composites contained15%LCP showed the best hydrophobic properties, and the contact angle can reach to103.8°. The freezing adhesive performances of UHMWPE composites had a closerelation to the additives, and the freezing temperature was not proportional to thefreezing-adhesive strength. Besides, the anti-freezing properties of all compositeswere better than that of Q345in the same conditions.3. With the increase of the polyethylene wax content, the ball indentationhardness of composites at room temperature (25oC) presented a decline trend; thecreep performances and compressive strength changed little; while the impact strengthfirst decreased and then increased, and the minimum was40.1kJ/m2. Besides, withthe increase of the polyethylene wax content, the ball indentation hardness of composites at low temperature (-10oC) showed a rising trend; the compressivestrength changed complicated, and the minimum was0.11MPa.4. With the increase of the LCP content, the ball indentation hardness ofcomposites at room temperature (25oC) presented a rising trend; the creepperformances and compressive strength were relatively stable; while the impactstrength first increased and then decreased. Besides, with the increase of the LCPcontent, the ball indentation hardness of composites at low temperature (-10oC)changed little compared to that at room temperature; and the compressive strengthshowed a decline trend. In conclusion, composites added with LCP showed bettermechanical properties, which were also more suitable for the material modification.5. The friction experimental results showed that the friction coefficient ofcomposites added with25%polyethylene wax was0.1642, and that of compositesadded with15%LCP was0.1238, even less than that of pure UHWPE (0.3080). Thisalso explained that the composites can improve the abrasion resistance. By comparingthe friction coefficient of two kinds of composites under different temperatures, it canbe found that with the increase of the load, the friction coefficient of the sample atlow temperature (-10oC) showed a decline trend, while that at room temperature (25oC) first decreased and then increased. In terms of the wear loss, the composites addedwith5%or10%polyethylene wax were the lowest, while the best content of LCPwas5%. The wear morphology showed that the two kinds of composites were mainlyadhesive wear, fatigue wear and abrasive wear.Considering from the freezing adhesive performances, mechanical properties andtribological properties, composites added with15%LCP presented the bestanti-freezing effect. It can significantly alleviate the freezing adhesion phenomenon,and meet the needs of the actual use.