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An anomaly in the necking behavior of polyethylene, part 4
Author(s) -
Gedde U. W.,
Terselius B.,
Jansson J.F.
Publication year - 1981
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.760210310
Subject(s) - necking , materials science , lamellar structure , composite material , ultimate tensile strength , differential scanning calorimetry , annealing (glass) , high density polyethylene , polyethylene , fracture (geology) , thermodynamics , physics
It is shown that the annealing of a high molecular weight, high density polyethylene at different temperatures ranging from 393.2 to 405.2 K influences the density of the material, the lamellar structure as studied by differential scanning calorimetry and transmission electron microscopy, and the necking and fracture behavior at constant uniaxial tensile loading in air at 313 K. In previous reports, a marked transition in the necking and fracture behavior of high density, high molecular weight polyethylene under constant uniaxial tensile loading has been reported. The nominal stress and the maximum strain rate of this transition show minima for polyethylenes annealed at temperatures of about 401 K. By combining these data with data for the lamellar structure a hypothesis that explains the necking/fracture behavior is set up. The heat treatment at temperatures from 393.2 to 403.2 K of the original non‐equilibrium lamellar structure causes a molecular fractionation preferentially of low molecular weight and branched material. These segregated parts may then act as fracture initiators and thus lower the resistance towards fracture. Other structural effects such as those proposed by McCready and co‐workers may also be of importance. The fracture curves at nominal stresses below transition of the materials annealed at 396.7 and 401.2 K for 24 h are shifted to shorter times in comparison with that of the non‐annealed material and this can also be explained by molecular fractionation. The time to necking at 14 MPa nominal stress seems to be related to the lamellar thickness of the samples.