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Why do plastics stress‐crack?
Author(s) -
Howard John B.
Publication year - 1965
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.760050307
Subject(s) - materials science , cracking , hardening (computing) , rationalization (economics) , composite material , polymer , microcrystalline , stress (linguistics) , stress concentration , fracture mechanics , crystallography , philosophy , linguistics , epistemology , layer (electronics) , chemistry
Possible applicability of Griffith's theory to stress‐cracking in microcrystalline organic polymers is considered. Although the time‐dependent nature of the phenomenon and the plastico‐elastico‐viscous character of the medium make such application debatable, it is found that this approach in combination with the contributions of others notably Rebinder and his associates, can provide rationalization for many of the empirical facts. The observed “case‐hardening” action of surfactants on specimens under stress suggests that the mobility of polymer chain segments in surface layers may in fact be restricted under these conditions as theorized, facilitating local concentration of stresses to a level exceeding the strength of the material.