The Effect of Temperature on the Sintering of UHMWPE Particles

Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is a high performance polymer with excellent properties, such as high abrasion resistance, low coefficient of friction, selflubrication etc. Because of its high molar mass, conventional processing methods cannot be used, and so it is commonlysintered. Sintering is a term usually used to describe the formation of a homogeneous melt from the coalescence of solid particles under the action of surface tension. Duringsintering, there is a thermodynamic driving force for particles to lower their surface energy by reducing their surface area [1- 4].