TY - JOUR A1 - Schilling, Markus A1 - Niebergall, Ute A1 - Marschall, Niklas A1 - Meinel, Dietmar A1 - Böhning, Martin T1 - Relation of craze to crack length during slow crack growth phenomena in high‐density polyethylene JF - Polymer Engineering & Science N2 - The craze‐crack mechanism occurring in high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) causing slow crack growth and environmental stress cracking is investigated in detail with respect to the relation of crack length and the related craze zone. This is essential for the understanding of the resulting features of the formed fracture surface and their interpretation in the context of the transition from crack propagation to ductile shear deformation. It turns out that an already formed craze zone does not inevitably result in formation of a propagating crack, but could also undergo ductile failure. For the examination, the full notch creep test (FNCT) was employed with a subsequent advanced fracture surface analysis that was performed using various imaging techniques: light microscopy, laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X‐ray micro computed tomography scan. FNCT specimens were progressively damaged for increasing durations under standard test conditions applying Arkopal, the standard surfactant solution, and biodiesel as test media were used to analyze the stepwise growth of cracks and crazes. From considerations based on well‐established fracture mechanics approaches, a theoretical correlation between the length of the actual crack and the length of the preceding craze zone was established that could be evidenced and affirmed by FNCT fracture surface analysis. Moreover, the yield strength of a HDPE material exposed to a certain medium as detected by a classic tensile test was found to be the crucial value of true stress to induce the transition from crack propagation due to the craze‐crack mechanism to shear deformation during FNCT measurements. Highlights - Progress of crack formation in high‐density polyethylene is analyzed by different imaging techniques - Determined growth rates depend on distinction between craze zone and crack - The ratio of the present crack to the anteceding craze zone is validated theoretically - The transition from crack propagation to ductile shear deformation is identified - An already formed craze zone may still fail by ductile mechanisms KW - Craze-crack mechanism KW - Environmental stress cracking (ESC) KW - Full notch creep test (FNCT) KW - Laser scanning microscopy (LSM) KW - Slow crack growth (SCG) KW - X-ray computed tomography (CT) PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-601831 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pen.26698 SN - 1548-2634 VL - 64 IS - 6 SP - 2387 EP - 2403 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-60183 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - THES A1 - Schilling, Markus T1 - Environmental Stress Cracking (ESC) and Slow Crack Growth (SCG) of PE-HD induced by external fluids N2 - High-density polyethylene (PE-HD) is widely used as a packaging material. Typical applications are pipes and containers for storage and transport of dangerous goods. For these applications, the understanding of the craze-crack damage mechanisms slow crack growth (SCG) and environmental stress cracking (ESC) is of importance. Since these mechanisms are considered to be the major causes of failure, their understanding is essential for inspection and release of those materials. A well-established test method for the assessment of these damage mechanisms is the full-notch creep test (FNCT). It is used in this study for a detailed investigation of crack propagation phenomena in PE-HD container materials under the influence of different fluids such as air, water and aqueous detergent solutions (Arkopal N 100) as well as biodiesel and diesel. Based on the results of the FNCT, a classification scheme of different fluids is proposed, which allows for an assignment of the respective damage mechanisms. Hereby, it is differentiated between (i) inert, (ii) purely surface-active and (iii) additionally sorptive, bulk-active fluids with respect to SCG. If the test fluid changes the intrinsic properties (at the surface or in the bulk), the damage mechanism is addressed to ESC behavior. In FNCT investigations, stress, temperature and specimen geometry were varied systematically. In addition to the time to failure as common measure for the resistance of a PE-HD type against crack propagation, specimen elongation was considered in detail. Several imaging techniques were applied for fracture surface analysis of specimens tested in FNCT to gain novel information on SCG and ESC behavior. From height profiles obtained by laser scanning microscopy (LSM) and information on surface structures from scanning electron microscopy (SEM), indicators for the differentiation of the crack propagation mechanisms could be derived. Based on the LSM data, an algorithm for the distinction between ductile shear deformation and brittle crack growth as dominating failure mechanism was developed. Imaging techniques were also used for determination of crack propagation rates, which were related to time-resolved FNCT elongation data. From the time-resolved determination of crack lengths of partly damaged FNCT specimens, an increasing length of craze zone with a progressively propagating crack was revealed for the first time. This relation of crack and craze zones was specified by fracture mechanical considerations. N2 - Polyethylen hoher Dichte (PE-HD) wird als Werkstoff für Rohre und Behälter für den Transport und zur Lagerung von Gefahrgütern verwendet. Für die Beurteilung und technische Freigabe dieser Materialien ist das Verständnis der beiden Schädigungsmechanismen „langsames Risswachstum“ (engl.: „slow crack growth“, SCG) und „umgebungsbedingter Spannungsriss“ (engl.: „environmental stress cracking“, ESC) essentiell. Eine etablierte Prüfmethode zur Bewertung dieser Schädigungsmechanismen ist der Full-Notch Creep Test (FNCT), der in dieser Arbeit zur systematischen Untersuchung des Risswachstums in PE-HD Behältermaterialien unter Einwirkung von Luft, Wasser und wässrigen Netzmittellösungen (Arkopal N 100) sowie Biodiesel und Diesel verwendet wird. Aus den Ergebnissen des FNCT wird ein Klassifikationsschema für Fluide vorgeschlagen, welches ebenfalls eine Zuordnung zu den Schädigungsmechanismen erlaubt. Hierbei wird in (i) inerte, (ii) rein oberflächen-aktive und (iii) zusätzliche sorptive, volumen-aktive Fluide hinsichtlich des langsamen Risswachstums (SCG) unterschieden. Wenn ein Fluid lokal die intrinsischen Materialeigenschaften des Polymers verändert, wird der Schädigungsmechanismus dem umgebungsbedingten Spannungsriss (ESC) zugeordnet. Bei den FNCT-Untersuchungen wurden die mechanische Spannung, die Temperatur und die Prüfkörpergeometrie systematisch variiert. Zusätzlich zur Standzeit wurde die Prüfkörperdehnung zeitabhängig erfasst. Aus einer erweiterten Bruchflächenanalyse konnten neuartige Informationen über SCG und ESC erhalten werden. Hierzu wurden verschiedene Bildgebungsverfahren verwendet. Insbesondere wurden mit Laserscanningmikroskopie (LSM) Höhenprofile und mit Rasterelektronenmikroskopie (REM) Oberflächeninformationen zur Charakterisierung der Rissfortschrittsmechanismen erhalten. Auf Basis der LSM wurde unter Zuhilfenahme von Höhenprofildaten ein Algorithmus zur Unterscheidung zwischen duktiler Scherverformung und sprödem Risswachstum als dominierende Schädigungsmechanismen entwickelt. Die aus den bildgebenden Verfahren ermittelten Rissfortschrittsraten konnten mit den Daten der während des FNCT erfassten Dehnung der Prüfkörper in Beziehung gesetzt werden. Weiterhin wurde mithilfe von zeitaufgelösten Risslängendaten erstmals eine direkte Korrelation der Risslänge zu vorgeschädigten, fibrillierten Bereichen (Crazes) im PE-HD Prüfkörper während des FNCT nachgewiesen. Demnach vergrößert sich die Craze-Länge linear mit zunehmender Risslänge. Dieser Zusammenhang zwischen Riss- und Craze-Längen wurde auf mathematisch, bruchmechanischer Grundlage bestätigt. KW - High-density polyethylene (PE-HD) KW - Full-Notch Creep Test (FNCT) KW - Slow crack growth (SCG) KW - Environmental Stress Cracking (ESC) KW - Biodiesel KW - Diesel KW - Crack propagation analysis KW - Fracture Surface Analysis KW - Test Improvement KW - Imaging PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:tuda-tuprints-115443 DO - https://doi.org/10.25534/tuprints-00011544 SP - 1 EP - 212 CY - Darmstadt AN - OPUS4-50941 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schilling, Markus A1 - Niebergall, Ute A1 - Alig, I. A1 - Oehler, H. A1 - Lellinger, D. A1 - Meinel, Dietmar A1 - Böhning, Martin T1 - Crack propagation in PE-HD induced by environmental stress cracking (ESC) analyzed by several imaging techniques JF - Polymer Testing N2 - Different imaging techniques were employed to monitor Full Notch Creep Test (FNCT) experiments addressing environmental stress cracking in more detail. The FNCT is a well-established test method to assess slow crack growth and environmental stress cracking of polymer materials, especially polyethylene. The standard test procedure, as specified in ISO 16770, provides a simple comparative measure of the resistance to crack growth of a certain material based on the overall time to failure when loaded with a well-defined mechanical stress and immersed in a liquid medium promoting crack propagation. Destructive techniques which require a direct view on the free fracture surface, such as light microscopy and laser scanning microscopy, are compared to non-destructive techniques, i.e. scanning acoustic microscopy and xray micro computed tomography. All methods allow the determination of an effective crack length. Based on a series of FNCT specimens progressively damaged for varied Durations under standard test conditions, the estimation of crack propagation rates is also enabled. Despite systematic deviations related to the respective Imaging techniques, this nevertheless provides a valuable tool for the detailed evaluation of the FNCT and its further development. KW - Environmental stress cracking (ESC) KW - Slow crack growth (SCG) KW - Full notch creep test (FNCT) KW - X-ray computed tomography (CT) KW - Laser scanning microscopy (LSM) KW - Scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) PY - 2018 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymertesting.2018.08.014 SN - 0142-9418 SN - 1873-2348 VL - 70 SP - 544 EP - 555 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-45766 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -