Slow crack growth in polyethylene ‐ a review

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Abstract
Slow crack growth in a wide variety of polyethylenes have been investigated. The quantitative relationship between: (1) the external variables such as stress, temperature, stress intensity and J‐integral; (2) the morphological variable such as density and crystal size and (3) molecular variables such as molecular weight, branch density and branch distribution and the rate and time to failure for slow crack growth will be presented. The kinetics of slow crack growth is correlated with the microstructural changes. A fundamental description of slow crack growth is given in terms of tie molecules and the stress field on the boundary of the craze from which fracture initiates.