engleski

Influence of aging on tensile properties of agriculture films

It is known that the tensile properties of polymer materials exposed to atmospheric influences are significantly reduced. But when it comes to films, especially when they are used in greenhouses to protect plantations, they must retain certain mechanical properties after a long period of exposure to the sun and water. The purpose of this study was to compare the tensile properties of three different types of films: ethylene tetrafluoroeth-ylene (ETFE), polyethylene (PE) clear, and polyethylene (PE) diffused, before and after their aging (rain, UV rays and humidity). Aging was done according to ISO-4892-2 at an irradiation of 550 W/m2, a temperature of 65 C and humidity 65% for 1000 h. Two types of PE was chosen in accordance with that in the continental part of Croatia it is recommended to use clear films and in the coastal part of Croatia diffuse films are most often used. ETFE film was tested as a potential new material that is increasingly used in all industries. Upon exposure to atmospheric aging (Figure 1), tensile properties of the ETFE film increased after aging but proper-ties of PE films remains the same. Slightly small increase are observed in strain in diffused PE film, which is an excellent indicator that the properties do not change with aging. Although the ETFE film showed the best tensile properties its price is still too high to justify the economic profitability of its application in greenhouses.

aging, agriculture, ethylene tetrafluoroeth-ylene, greenhouses, plastic films, polyeth-ylene, tensile properties

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