UHMWPE(Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene) was originally defined as a polyethylene whose average molecular weight, as measured by the solution-viscosity method, is greater than 2,000,000. (Molecular weight of HDPE ranges from 100,000 to 500,000.)
UHMWPE(Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene) has outstanding abrasion resistance and a low coefficient of friction. Impact strength is high, and chemical resistance is excellent. The material does not break in impact strength tests using standard notched specimens; double-notched specimens break at 20 ft-lb/in. Crystalline melting point of the material is 130 C. Recommended maximum service temperature is about 93 C, however, because of a high coefficient of thermal expansion.
Applications of UHMWPE(Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene) include conveyor wear strips and guide rails, papermachine suction-box covers, chute linings, snowmobile-track sprockets, bearings, parts for textile looms, pipe for distribution of slurry materials, and other components requiring abrasion resistance, impact strength, and a lowfriction coefficient. These plastics have outperformed other materials, including metals, in these applications.
