THERMAL DEGRADATION OF POLYVINYLIDENE FLUORIDE AND POLYVINYL FLUORIDE BY OVEN PYROLYSIS

Abstract : The military has a definite and pressing need to develop materials to protect personnel and equipment against the thermal effects of a nuclear weapon detonation. The thermal behavior of polymers which appear to have capabilities for attenuating such energy is therefore of interest. The report presents the results of a study made on the thermal degradation products obtained from the two fluoropolymers, polyvinylidene fluoride and polyvinyl fluoride, by oven pyrolysis. It describes the separation of the thermal degradation products of the polymers into fractions, and reports the elemental analyses of these fractions, and the identification of as many constituents of these fractions as was feasible.