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Four typical high-density polyethylene container materials were used to investigate damage or stress cracking behavior in contact with model liquids for crop protection products. These model liquids are established in German regulations for the approval of dangerous goods containers and consist of typical admixtures used for crop protection products but without biological active ingredients. This study is performed with the standardized method of Full Notch Creep Test, adapting the media temperature to 40 °C according to the usual conditions where these test liquids are applied. The two model liquids differ into a water-based solution and a composition based on different organic solvents which are absorbed by the material up to significant levels. Therefore, extensive sorption measurements are performed. The fracture surfaces obtained are analyzed in detail not only by light microscopy, but also by laser scanning microscopy as well as scanning electron microscopy. Influence of pre-saturation and applied stress are addressed by respective systematic series of experiments.
Slow crack growth (SCG) under the influence of external fluid media, usually termed environmental stress cracking (ESC), is still one of the most frequent origins of severe damage and failure of polymeric materials. For polyethylene (PE) this is relevant for mass products, like bottles for consumer products, but also for high-performance materials for pipes or industrial packaging, including containers for chemicals and other dangerous goods. Especially for high-density polyethylene (PE-HD) the susceptibility to SGC and ESC is depending on the complex interplay between molecular weight and architecture and the resulting semicrystalline morphology, especially the formation of tie-molecules.
A reliable assessment of the resistance against this damage phenomenon is essential for demanding as well as safety-critical applications and has to take into account suitable testing methodologies and conditions in combination with environmental media reflecting the properties representative for typical fillings and relevant components causing ESC. In this context a better understanding of different influencing factors, such as sorption, swelling or surface activity is necessary together with a detailed characterization of different stages of crack propagation and underlying mechanisms. Therefor well-established testing methods, such as the Full Notch Creep Test (FNCT), were complemented by detailed fracture surface analysis using e.g. LSM and SEM in combination with a time-dependent optical monitoring of the progressing crack growth.
For the crack growth also the ratio of fibrillated craze zone to crack opening is important for the deeper understanding of crack propagation and related material parameters which can be additionally addressed by X-ray computed tomography.
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.