Cyclic Impact Compaction of an Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) Powder and Properties of the Compacts

Experiments on Cyclic Impact Compaction (CIC) of UHMWPE powder GUR 4120 were carried out on a laboratory hydro-pneumatic impact device. This device provides impact energies of up to 1 kJ with a frequency of impacts of 9 s(−1) and enables producing dense and robust compacts in the form of disks with a diameter of up to 60 mm and a height of up to 24 mm. The optimal parameters of the CIC were determined, which are the preheating temperature of the powder, the impact energy and the number of impacts. The strength, Brinell hardness and elongation of the resulting compacts with a diameter of 40 mm and a height of 15 mm were 37.5 MPa, 49.0 MPa and 470%, respectively. The possibility of activating UHMWPE powder by explosive loading was studied. It was found that the explosive pretreatment reduces the mechanical properties of the resultant compacts. The CIC method is suitable for the manufacture of UHMWPE-based composites with nano-additives, as evidenced by the successful production of compacts containing nanoscale detonation carbon as an additive. The results of the present study show that the CIC method is promising for the industrial production of small-sized UHMWPE parts.