TY - CONF A1 - Thuy, Maximilian A1 - Niebergall, Ute A1 - Böhning, Martin T1 - Influence of molecular orientation on the environmental stress cracking resistance N2 - Molecular orientation has a significant effect on the material properties of polymers. Preferential orientation of the microstructure (polymer chains or crystallites) in a specific direction or plane often enhances the material properties, especially if the high-strength covalent bonds are primarily exposed to loads instead of the weaker van der Waals bonds. However, the orientation-dependent microstructure and its mechanical behavior is in general already well understood by many scientific studies [1-3]. Isotropic materials are frequently required for an intrinsic material characterization without prevailing processing-induced properties, as is the case for Full Notch Creep Test (FNCT) [4] addressing environmental stress cracking (ESC) in high-density polyethylene (PE-HD) [5, 6]. Since ESC is one of the major limiting issues for long-term performance of PE-HD pipes and containers [7], which in contrast have a production-related preferential orientated microstructure due to extrusion or extrusion blow molding, it is important to additionally investigate the ESC resistance of such anisotropic microstructure. Investigations of the slow crack growth (SCG) with respect to the molecular orientation generally obtain a factor of 1.2 up to 4.7 between crack growth perpendicular to the extrusion direction and crack growth parallel to the extrusion direction 8. Based on FNCT investigations with an aqueous detergent solution as environmental medium, hot pressed sheets with isotropic morphology are compared with extruded sheets from which specimens with different orientation angles are taken. However, the time to failure obtained by FNCT is also significantly influenced by the different cooling conditions under which the final morphology is formed. The tendency of the specimen to fail due to ESC is investigated as a function of environmental medium temperature. For a more detailed analysis of the affecting parameters in the manufacturing process, the ESC resistance is discussed considering the differences in crystallinity as revealed by thermal analysis. T2 - 36th International Conference of the Polymer Processing Society CY - Montreal, Canada DA - 26.09.2021 KW - Environmental stress cracking KW - Orientation-dependent microstructure KW - High-density polyethylene KW - Full Notch Creep Test PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53399 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Thuy, Maximilian A1 - Niebergall, Ute A1 - Böhning, Martin T1 - Damage progression of environmental stress cracking affected by manufacturing process-induced microstructural orientation N2 - Currently, the Full Notch Creep Test (FNCT) [1] method is used by material suppliers and end users in industry for the approval of container and pipe materials based on high-density polyethylene (PE-HD). The resistance to environmental stress cracking (ESC) of the material is evaluated using the time to failure of the specimen in an aqueous solution of a detergent [2, 3]. Usually specimens made of sheets with isotropic material properties, manufactured by hot pressing, are employed in order to obtain intrinsic properties of the material in terms of ESC failure. In contrast, the processes used in manufacturing to form containers and pipes, such as extrusion blow molding or extrusion, impose anisotropic properties to the material. These are mostly due to a microstructural orientation (polymer chains or crystallites) [4]. Furthermore, the different cooling conditions significantly affect the size distribution of crystallites as well as the overall morphology. It is therefore essential to understand the influence of process-induced material characteristics on failure due to ESC. A large number of studies on material properties as a function of microstructural preferential orientation have already been conducted [5-7]. However, effects on ESC as the major failure mechanism of containers and pipes are still rather unexplored [8, 9]. The most important factor is whether primarily intramolecular high-strength covalent bonds or the substantially weaker intermolecular van der Waals forces are predominantly loaded. In addition to the widely established classification by time to failure, the strain or crack opening displacement (COD) provides valuable information about the evolution and progression of damage as a function of time [10, 11]. Optical strain measurement using digital image correlation allows the differences in COD for isotropic and different angles of orientation of anisotropic specimens to be discussed. Also, a post-fracture surface analysis provides clarification on the craze-crack mechanism of the ESC. These different ESC-related properties of extruded and hot-pressed specimens have been investigated at different environmental medium temperatures and different initial stresses to provide a broad characterization of the fracture behavior of PE-HD. T2 - 36th International Conference of the Polymer Processing Society CY - Montreal, Canada DA - 26.09.2021 KW - Environmental stress cracking KW - High-density polyethylene KW - Fracture behavior KW - Microstructural orientation PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53400 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Geburtig, Anja A1 - Wachtendorf, Volker A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana T1 - Combined impact of UV radiation and nitric acid on high‐density polyethylene containers as a laboratory test JF - Packaging Technology and Science N2 - In a laboratory test, transparent high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) jerrycans have been exposed to both UV radiation and 55 wt‐% nitric acid solution at (41 ± 2)°C, for up to 20 days. For comparison, UV radiant exposure (21 days) and nitric acid exposure (up to 6 weeks) were performed separately, at nearly equal temperatures. The damages are compared with FTIR spectroscopy in ATR and HT‐gel permeation chromatography(GPC) on a molecular level and with hydraulic internal pressure testing as a component test. For the used jerrycans, relevant oxidation can only be found after the combined exposure. This is caused by the decomposition of nitric acid into nitrous gases by UV radiation, which is also observed at lower concentrations (28 wt‐%). After 6 days of laboratory exposure, this is rated as critical, which corresponds to about 1/10 year in Central Europe, according to the UV radiant exposure. The gradual increase in oxidative damage shows the reproducibility of the test. KW - Molecular mass distribution KW - High-density polyethylene KW - Nitric acid KW - UV radiation PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-550141 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pts.2673 SN - 0894-3214 SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - John Wiley & Sons Ltd AN - OPUS4-55014 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 JF - Polymer Testing 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 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-554631 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymertesting.2022.107672 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 - TY - GEN A1 - Thuy, Maximilian A1 - Brauch, N. A1 - Niebergall, Ute A1 - Alig, I. A1 - Oehler, H. A1 - Böhning, Martin T1 - Environmental Stress Cracking of PE-HD Induced by Liquid Test Media Representing Crop Protection Formulations T2 - Advances in Accelerated Testing and Predictive Methods in Creep, Fatigue, and Environmental Cracking N2 - Packaging containers for dangerous goods that include aggressive liquids require that any packaging material that is based on high-density polyethylene has a high degree of stability and durability. This work is focused on testing the environmental stress cracking of the high-density polyethylenes used for such containers in contact with crop protection formulations, in particular, two model liquids established in Germany as standardized test media representatives for crop protection formulations containing the various admixtures typical for such products. One of the liquids is water-based and contains mostly surface-active ingredients, while the other is solvent-based and includes some emulsifiers. Originally established for pin impression tests, these model liquids and their individual components were here used for the first time as environmental media in the Full Notch Creep Test, which addresses the resistance against environmental stress cracking. The Full Notch Creep Test was carried out on five high-density polyethylene types with both model liquids, and also on one selected material with its components. The evaluation was focused on the fracture surface structures, which were visualized by a scanning electron microscope and by optical in situ imaging of the notch opening. While the water-based model liquid and its surface-active individual components induced environmental stress cracking with the characteristic pattern for a craze-crack mechanism and so-called brittle fracture on the surface, the solvent-based model liquid and its soluble ingredients exhibited rather ductile failure behavior, caused by the plasticizing effect on the polymer that reduced the yield stress of the high-density polyethylene. For both cases, fracture surface analysis, together with side views of the crack opening, showed a clear relation between surface pattern, notch deformation (e.g., by blunting), or crack opening due to crack growth with time to failure and the solubility of the liquids in high-density polyethylene. KW - Environmental stress cracking KW - Fracture surface KW - Full Notch Creep Test KW - Crop protection formulations KW - High-density polyethylene PY - 2023 DO - https://doi.org/10.1520/STP164320210095 SP - 317 EP - 341 PB - ASTM International CY - West Conshohocken, PA (USA) AN - OPUS4-57459 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -