Visco-elastic properties of neutron irradiated collagen fibres

This paper deals with neutron irradiation on collagen fibres. In particular, it deals with the visco-elastic properties of these fibres. The fibres were tested in the dry and wet states. The tensile strength of the irradiated collagen fibres decreased with the dosage of neutron radiation when tested in the dry condition. When tested in the wet condition, the tensile strength of the fibres decreased at a faster rate with increase in dosage. To conclude, the results of the study on the mechanical properties of the neutron irradiated fibres showed that neutrons like other radiations, cause degradation of collagen even at very low doses. The radiation induced cross-links are effective only for small strains when the fibres are stretched. (author)