On the Vickers Microhardness and Wide-Angle X-Ray Line Width for Characterization of the Oxidative Stability of Poly(ethylene-co-propylene) Pipes: New Perspectives

The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the ageing of poly(ethylene-co-propylene) fittings produced by several manufacturers. The fittings were aged for varying times as follows: 0, 2, 13, 23, 45, 106, 225 and 391 days at 100°C. In a previous paper, the oxidation induction time (OItime) and oxidation induction temperature (OItemp) were evaluated with respect to every single step of the ageing process [1]. Here, the Vickers microhardness and wide-angle X-ray line width were used for characterization of the oxidative stability of poly(ethylene-co-propylene) pipes. Both the Vickers microhardness and wide-angle X-ray line width as evaluated from a certain reflex of the diffractogram generally increase with ageing for most samples. The higher microhardness is most likely related to higher fragility of the pipes. The increase of the X-ray line width with ageing indirectly proves that reducing the crystallite size as well as increase of the crystallite defectiveness take place.