Dose rate effect on LDPE cross-linking induced by electron beam irradiation

In this project, the radiation induced cross-linking in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) samples irradiated with the different dose rates of 5 MeV electron beam in the dose range of 20 up to 200 kGy were investigated and compared. The dose rate values were ranged from 13 to 300 kGy/min. The cross-linking of the samples were studied on the basis of gel content measurement and a hot set test. The yield of gel content showed slight increases with decreasing dose rate values. The same results were more clearly observed using the hot set test. It was concluded that, to irradiate the product based on LDPE, any variation in electron beam current causes different dose rates which, in turn, affect the absorbed dose value in materials.