Abstract
Effect of electron irradiation on temperature dependences of internal friction in polymer-based composites armored with mica and asbestos is studied. Characteristics of mechanical relaxation spectra and radiation-initiated molecular structural alterations in this type of composites are discussed. It is shown that structural alterations after composite irradiation depend not only on the irradiation dose but to the great extent on the dose rate. In the scissoring polymers at the absence of track and spur overlapping, increase in the dose rate causes the higher degree of polymer radiation scission at the same irradiation dose. At the values of dose and dose rate that exceed the level characteristic for the given type of the polymer binder, spur overlap leads to the decrease in the relative rate of radiation scission. The latter can be the cause of scission change to cross-linking at heightened temperatures. All the polymer binders used in the composites under study are subjected to destruction at the heightened doses of electron irradiation. Thermal processing of this type of composites can be used both for their higher radiation resistance and partial recovery of the cross-linked structure of their polymer matrix.