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Why do plastics stress‐crack?
Author(s) -
Howard J. B.
Publication year - 1964
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.760040312
Subject(s) - environmental stress cracking , materials science , cracking , stress (linguistics) , crystallization , polyethylene , forensic engineering , composite material , stress corrosion cracking , thermodynamics , engineering , physics , alloy , linguistics , philosophy
In this brief review, environmental stress‐cracking in polyethylene is taken as a typical example of the broad phenomenon of stress‐cracking and the major variables affecting its operation are enumerated. In addition to stress, these include molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, the amount and nature of the crystalline phase present, the nature of the “environment,” the importance of its ability to alter the surface energy characteristics of the affected polymer, and the effects of temperatrue. The need for selecting an appropriate test procedure is stressed, and the probable significance of certain recent advances in comprehension of the crystallization mechanics of these materials is suggested.