Study of Deformation Behavior of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE)

Microscopic and macroscopic deformation behavior of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) under the drawing force was studied in this paper. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) experimental results indicated that: under the force, non-crystalline materials distorted, crystal faces were torn along grain boundaries and crystal grains were disrupted. So crystal size became smaller, more grain boundaries and more voids were formed, which supplied more free space for the movement of crystal grains and chain segments. The torsion test results showed that the UHMWPE exhibited excellent flexibility and the specimen had more excellent deformation ability at a slower loading rate.