Property Enhancement of SiR-EPDM Blend Using Electron Beam Irradiation

Polymers are the most commonly used di-electrics because of their reliability, availability, ease of fabrication and cost. The commercial and industrial demand for advanced polymeric materials which are capable of being used in harsh environment is need of the hour. The study of the effect of electron beam irradiation on polymeric materials is an area of rapidly increasing interest. This paper discusses the resultant beneficial effects of electron beam irradiation on the SiR-EPDM blend having 50:50 composition. The changes in mechanical and electrical properties of SiR-EPDM blend which are exposed to three different doses of electron beam radiation namely 5 Mrad, 15 Mrad and 25 Mrad are presented. The irradiated blends are analyzed for their electro-mechanical and physico chemical properties. The electrical changes induced by irradiation are investigated by arc resistance, surface resistivity and volume resistivity measurements as per ASTM standards. The mechanical changes are observed by the measurement of tensile strength and elongation at break. Physico chemical investigation has been done using the FTIR, in order to investigate the irradiation induced chemical changes.