TY - JOUR A1 - Thuy, Maximilian A1 - Pedragosa-Rincon, M. A1 - Niebergall, Ute A1 - Oehler, H. A1 - Alig, I. A1 - Böhning, Martin T1 - Environmental Stress Cracking of High-Density Polyethylene Applying Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics N2 - The crack propagation rate of environmental stress cracking was studied on high-density polyethylene compact tension specimens under static loading. Selected environmental liquids are distilled water, 2 wt% aqueous Arkopal N100 solution, and two model liquid mixtures, one based on solvents and one on detergents, representing stress cracking test liquids for commercial crop protection products. The different surface tensions and solubilities, which affect the energetic facilitation of void nucleation and craze development, are studied. Crack growth in surface-active media is strongly accelerated as the solvents induce plasticization, followed by strong blunting significantly retarding both crack initiation and crack propagation. The crack propagation rate for static load as a function of the stress intensity factor within all environments is found to follow the Paris–Erdogan law. Scanning electron micrographs of the fracture surface highlight more pronounced structures with both extensive degrees of plasticization and reduced crack propagation rate, addressing the distinct creep behavior of fibrils. Additionally, the limitations of linear elastic fracture mechanisms for visco-elastic polymers exposed to environmental liquids are discussed. KW - Crack propagation KW - Environmental stress cracking KW - Fracture toughness KW - Crop protection products KW - High-density polyethylene KW - Craze–crack mechanism KW - Linear elastic fracture mechanics KW - Stress intensity factor PY - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-550476 SN - 2073-4360 VL - 14 IS - 12 SP - 1 EP - 21 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-55047 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Thuy, Maximilian A1 - Niebergall, Ute A1 - Oehler, H. A1 - Alig, I. A1 - Böhning, Martin T1 - Damaging effect of admixtures used in crop protection products on high density polyethylene packaging material N2 - The phenomenon of environmental stress cracking is still a major issue in materials engineering as well as from a scientific perspective. Especially in the case of packaging materials made of high-density polyethylene, assessing the potential of premature damage due to environmental stress cracking is complex because of the large number of components in possible liquid filling goods. As a first guideline, the well-known effect of detergents and dispersants is usually considered, but the interplay with other components, such as organic solvents is often unknown. Particularly challenging in this respect are crop protection products, consisting of several different admixtures in addition to the biologically active ingredients. This study is based on two model liquids representing these admixtures that were established for testing in this context. The model liquids as well as their constituting components were used as liquid media in the Full Notch Creep Test to characterize the environmental stress cracking behavior of a typical high-density polyethylene. Complementary to the time-to failure of a notched specimen obtained from these tests, the crack opening was monitored optically, and the fracture surface was analyzed post-failure by laser scanning microscopy as well as scanning electron microscopy. Based on the results, the effect of various surfactants as well as the influence of organic solvents on environmental stress cracking are discussed. KW - Environmental stress cracking KW - High-density polyethylene KW - Crop protection products KW - Full notch creep test KW - Fracture surface analysis KW - Crack opening displacement PY - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-554631 SN - 0142-9418 VL - 114 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - Elsevier Ltd. CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-55463 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -