The effect of ageing on the tensile properties of greenhouses nets

Abstract

Providing good protection for cultivated plants against weather conditions like hail, frost, and wind, as well as from animals like birds, insects, and wild boars, is important for enhancing plant growth and improving both production and quality. For this reason, plants are grown in covering systems (greenhouses) where covering materials play a major role. This paper analyses the effect of ageing on tensile properties of nets and the advantages of using nets as a covering part in greenhouses and explores their positive impact on plant protection and growth. The nets that were tested are made from different polymer materials, mostly polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The result shows that in the case of PP net (PA105N) and HDPE wind protection net (ZO95) the tensile strength decreases by 28% - 35% respectively after ageing. The elongation in most cases increases even up to 70% (net 70%). Additionally, there is a noticeable change in the shape of the nets after exposure to the atmospheric environment.

Keywords

• ageing
• nets
• greenhouse
• polymer materials
• tensile properties

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