The influence of gases in solution in the polymer on the propagation of water trees

The growth of water trees was measured using the water needle test in laboratory polyethylene specimens. The effect of deaerating the specimens and annealing them under different gaseous atmospheres is investigated. These factors were found to be secondary compared with the role played by annealing itself. The gas in contact with the material during the growth of water trees influenced not the initiation stage but the propagation stage, especially when nitrogen was used.<
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