Evaluation of Irradiated Oxidation of XLPE Based on Thermal and IR Reflection Properties

For evaluating the radiation degradation of cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) cable insulation due to the irradiated oxidation, XLPE was irradiated with ${\gamma}$-ray. For each irradiated samples, TGA, DSC, FT-IR, and tensile tests were carried out. Regarding radiation degradation, oxidative process was predominant. TGA, DSC and FT-IR can be useful tools for evaluating the radiation degradation due to the irradiated oxidation because these analyses need only small amount of samples. The results of TGA, DSC and FTIR analyses showed the similar tendency for irradiated degradation. They can be useful tools for evaluating the oxidation of insulating material by non-destructive testing.