Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

This paper describes testing to investigate the effects of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation on Teflon fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) film, examining differences in mechanical properties degradation for samples of 50.8 jtm thickness exposed to VUV of various lower cut-off wavelengths. Samples were illuminated in a high vacuum facility by deuterium lamps, which provide radiation in the 115-400 nm wavelength range, but with the highest intensity being below 200 nm. Windows of fused silica, crystalline quartz, and magnesium fluoride provided lower cut-off wavelengths of 155, 140 and 115 nm, respectively. Lamp intensity was measured in the 115-200 nm wavelength range throughout the sample exposures. The determined intensities were used to estimate intensity and incident energy of various wavelength ranges, between 115 and 400 nm. Samples were analysed for tensile strength and elongation at failure. The effects of radiation exposures of different wavelength ranges were compared and discussed in terms of the expected depth to which radiation of various wavelengths is deposited into FEP

Keywords

Vaccuum ultraviolet space simulation Teflon®degradation

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

[1] Townsend J A , Hansen P A , McClendon M W , de Groh K K and Banks B A 1999 High Performance Polymers 11 63-81

[2] Dever J A , de Groh K K , Messer R K , McClendon M W , Viens M , Wang L L and Gummow J D 2001 High Performance Polymers 13 S373-S390

[3] American Society for Testing and Materials ASTM-E 490-73a (Reapproved 1992), 'Solar Constant and Air Mass Zero Solar Spectral Irradiance Tables'

[4] Dever J A , Pietromica A J , Stueber T J , Sechkar E A and Messer R K 2001 Simulated Space Vacuum Ultraviolet (VUV) Exposure Testing for Polymer Films, AIAA Paper No. 2001-1054, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

[5] Seki K , Tanaka H and Ohta T 1990 Physica Scripta 41 167-171

[6] Grossman E , Noter Y and Lifshitz Y 1997 Proceedingsofthe 7th International Symposiumon Materialsin Space Environment, Toulouse, France, 16-20 June 1997. ( Noordwijk, Netherlands: ESA ) pp 217-222

[7] Skurat V E , Barbashev E A , Budashov I A , Dorofeev Yu I , Nikiforov A PR Ternovoy A I , Van Eesbeek M and Levadou F 1997 Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Materialsin Space Environment, Toulouse, France ( Noordwijk, Netherlands:ESA ) pp 267-279

[8] American Society forTesting and Materials 1995 ASTM D 638-95, Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Plastics

[9] Jukeikis H S 1979 Space Radiation Effects on Teflon Films. Report SAMSO-TR-79-070 ( The Aerospace Corporation )

Efects of Micuum Ultraviolet Radiation of Irious Wavelength Ranges on Teflon® FEP Film

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References