History
Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) was first polymerized in the 1950’s. The first UHMWPE fibers were commercialized in the late 1970’s.
Composition
UHMWPE is a type of polyolefin that is composed of very long chains of polyethylene with a very high percentage of parallel orientation and high level of crystallinity. The extremely long polymer chains enable load transfer by strengthening intermolecular interactions.
