EFFECT OF MOLDING PRESSURE ON CHARACTERISTICS OF RADIOPROTECTIVE COMPOSITES.

This paper presents the results of a study of the effect of molding pressure on the characteristics of radioprotective composites based on polyethylene and boron carbide (B4C). Software simulation is applied to select a temperature range for heating a press mold of a given size. Experiments are performed to determine the required holding time of the composite and identify defects arising from various deviations from the optimal temperature parameters. The strength of samples under various molding pressure conditions is tested, and the optimal pressure is determined. A composite with the following mechanical characteristics under optimal molding conditions is obtained: density () g/cm3, bending strength MPa, and sound velocity in the composite () m/s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]