Method of irradiation of polymer films by an electron beam

Abstract

The invention pertains to the area of radiation production process, specifically to the technology of radiation modification of organic materials and may be used for the creation of production lines for the manufacture of radiation-modified polymer films. The method of irradiating polymer films by an electron beam comprises a two-stage application of an accelerated electron beam on sections of moving polymer film until the preset radiation dose has been absorbed. The duration of the set time interval between the end of treatment Stage one and the beginning of treatment Stage two of the initially irradiated film section is no less than 500 msec. The set dose accumulated by each section of the film in Stage one is sufficient to alter the polymer film material from a free molecular state to a cross-linked state characterized by the formation of 3-dimensional molecular structures having a greater molecular mass. The length of the time interval between the end of irradiation Stage one and the beginning of Stage two may be set at 1 sec. The dose selected for absorption by the film sections during the irradiation of the polyethylene film may range from 20 to 30 kGy. For two-stage irradiation of polymer film an electron accelerator may be used having two foil windows to extract the electron beam from the accelerator vacuum chamber. This method being submitted for patent makes it possible to improve the physical and mechanical properties of polymer films under radiation modification by more effective use of irradiating electron energy.