Operational maps between molecular properties and environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR)
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Date
2019-01-20
Authors
Sardashti, P.
Stewart, K. M. E.
Polak, M.
Tzoganakis, C.
Penlidis, Alexander
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Wiley
Abstract
Environmental stress cracking (ESC) is one of the main failure mechanisms involved in polymer fractures. This paper focusses on the environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR) of polyethylene (PE) in which ESC occurs through a slow crack growth mechanism. In order to predict the ESCR of PE, it is necessary to fully understand the molecular structure of the resin. This paper demonstrates the relationships between molecular structure characteristics and material responses based on experimental characterization and published literature trends. Relationships between ESCR, molecular weight (MW), percentage crystallinity, and density were used to create ESCR and molecular structure maps, which can be used to improve the development of PE resins with a desirable (better/higher) ESCR. These maps along with a logical flow chart offer practical prescriptions and describe pathways towards the development of PE with a desirable ESCR. In addition, this paper presents case studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.
Description
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Sardashti, P., Stewart, K. M. E., Polak, M., Tzoganakis, C., & Penlidis, A. (2019). Operational maps between molecular properties and environmental stress cracking resistance. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 136(4), 47006. https://doi.org/10.1002/app.47006, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/app.47006. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.
Keywords
environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR), polyethylene (PE), structure-property relationships, short chain branching, molecular weight distribution, resin characterization