Title :
What is crosslinked polyethylene?
Author :
Smedberg, A. ; Gustafsson, B. ; Hjertberg, T.
Author_Institution :
Borealis AB, Stenungsund, Sweden
Abstract :
The generally accepted reaction scheme for peroxide initiated crosslinking of polyethylene looks relatively simple. However, a deeper look into this subject reveals a far more complex and fascinating area. The presence of vinyl groups in the LDPE material proved to have a significant effect on the gel formation and on the network densities reached. The vinyl groups were found to be rapidly consumed via a so-called polymerisation reaction. Deeper studies of the network revealed that 2/3 of the network points present constituted of partially to fully trapped entanglements which means that only 1/3 are of chemical nature. It is therefore important to characterise the network by different techniques.
Keywords :
XLPE insulation; bonds (chemical); polymer gels; polymer structure; polymerisation; LDPE material; crosslinked polyethylene; fully trapped entanglement; partially trapped entanglement; peroxide initiated crosslinking; polymerisation reaction; reaction scheme; vinyl groups; Additives; Cable insulation; Cables; Chemical technology; Chemistry; Dielectric materials; Dielectrics and electrical insulation; Polyethylene; Polymers; Temperature;
Conference_Titel :
Solid Dielectrics, 2004. ICSD 2004. Proceedings of the 2004 IEEE International Conference on
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-8348-6
DOI :
10.1109/ICSD.2004.1350379
