EFFECT OF INITIAL MORPHOLOGY ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF ULTRA-HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLYETHYLENE.

Physical and mechanical property studies with melt crystallized ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene morphologies prepared from melts with different thermal histories indicate that their mechanical properties depend on the degree of fusion of the powder particles during their processing and can be enhanced by heating the polymer above 220 degree C. The initial morphology and the degree of cohesion of the powder particles affect also significantly their deformability into high modulus and strength products.