Development of UHMWPE sheets before the 1980s
The development of UHMWPE sheets is very rapid. Before the 1980s, the world's average annual growth rate was 8.5%, but after the 1980s, the growth rate reached as high as 15% to 20%. The average annual growth rate in China is over 30%. In 1978, the world consumption was between 12000 and 12500 tons, while by 1990, the world demand was about 50000 tons, with the United States accounting for 70%.
The average molecular weight of UHMWPE sheet is about 350000-8 million, and due to its high molecular weight, it has excellent impact resistance, wear resistance, self-lubrication, chemical corrosion resistance, and other properties that are unparalleled in other plastics. Moreover, UHMWPE has excellent low-temperature resistance and still has high impact strength at -40 ℃, and can even be used at -269 ℃.
The excellent physical and mechanical properties of UHMWPE sheets make them widely used in fields such as machinery, transportation, textiles, papermaking, mining, agriculture, chemical engineering, and sports equipment. Among them, the application of large packaging containers and pipelines is more extensive.