Decompression wave speed and crack velocity measurements during S4 test in water pressurized plastic pipes: Part 1. Experimental methods

In a Small Scale Steady State (S4) test apparatus of ISO 13477, instrumentations were designed and successfully adapted to determine decompression wave speed and crack velocity during rapid crack propagation event in water-filled plastic pipes. The basic design for decompression wave speed measurement involved the use of high-frequency dynamic pressure transmitters, located external to the water-filled pipe and connected to pressure measurement positions inside the pipe, by means of stainless steel tubes. For the crack velocity measurements, timing wire system with the required circuitry capable of giving the precise temporal indication of the propagating crack was designed and employed. In this paper, detailed design of instrumentations adapted to the S4 test apparatus and the assessment techniques used to obtain decompression wave speed and crack velocity are described. It was also demonstrated that the methods developed were viable for these measurements which are known to affect the rapid crack propagation behavior in water-filled plastic pipes.     

Fatigue crack propagation mechanisms in poly(methyl methacrylate) by in situ observation with a scanning laser microscope

Crack propagation tests were performed on an amorphous polymer, poly(methyl methacrylate), to investigate fatigue crack propagation mechanisms. A scanning laser microscope with a newly developed tensile testing machine was used to observe in situ crack propagation in compact‐type specimens. A crack usually propagated within the craze located at the crack tip under both static and cyclic loading conditions. When a crack stably propagated into the craze under static loading conditions, bright bands composed of the broken craze were observed at the edges along the crack wakes. However, there were successive ridges and valleys in place of bright bands along the crack wakes under cyclic loading conditions. When stable fatigue cracks were propagated at the loading half‐cycle in each cycle, new craze fragments appeared that were similar to the bright bands under static loading. However, the thickness of these fragments decreased in the following loading cycle, and a new valley was formed. This suggested that the valleys were formed by the contact between the fracture surfaces near the crack tip during unloading. Fatigue crack propagation is thought to be due to fibrils weakened by crack closure between fracture surfaces. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 3103–3113, 2001     

Strain and damage sensing in additively manufactured CB/ABS polymer composites

In this study, an experimental investigation is performed to observe the electromechanical response of CB (carbon black)/Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) additive manufactured composite under quasi-static (tensile, shear, and mode-I fracture) and dynamic (mode-I fracture) loading conditions for the potential damage sensing applications. Dog bone tensile, double v-notch shear, and single edge notch bending (SENB) specimen printed with three different configurations (0°/90°, +45°/-45°, and 0°) are considered for the quasi-static condition. A modified split Hopkinson pressure bar along with high-speed video camera is used for dynamic fracture experiments. Four-point probe technique coupled with a high-resolution data acquisition system is employed to obtain the real-time electrical response. In the case of tensile loading, +45°/-45° printed specimens show a nonlinear change of electrical resistance due to unique failure mode. Under the shear loading, electrical resistance remains unchanged during the elastic deformation. After the damage evolution, +45°/-45° printed specimens exhibit a higher rate of change in electrical resistance due to alignment of the filaments along the maximum principle shear stress direction. For both static and dynamic fracture loading, a minimal change of electrical resistance is observed before crack initiation. However, after the crack initiation, a sharp change of electrical resistance for 0°/90° printed specimens indicates a faster crack propagation as compared to the +45°/-45° printed specimens.     

Stepwise fatigue crack propagation in polyethylene resins of different molecular structure

Stepwise fatigue crack propagation in a range of polyethylene resins, some of which are candidates for use in pipes for natural gas distribution, was studied. Examination of the effect of molding conditions on fatigue crack propagation in a pipe resin indicated that fast cooling under pressure produced specimens with the same crack resistance as specimens taken from a pipe extruded from this resin. The mechanism of stepwise crack propagation in fatigue was the same as reported previously for creep loading. Observations of the region ahead of the arrested crack revealed a complex damage zone that consisted of a thick membrane at the crack tip followed by a main craze with subsidiary shear crazes that emerged from the crack tip at an angle to the main craze. The effects of molecular parameters, such as molecular weight, comonomer content, and branch distribution, on the kinetics of fatigue crack propagation were examined. Correlation of creep and fatigue crack resistance made it possible to relate fatigue fracture toughness to molecular parameters by invoking concepts of craze fibril stability developed for creep. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 2355–2369, 1998     

Crack growth in a pipe grade PVC material under static and cyclic loading conditions

The creep crack growth (CCG) and the fatigue crack growth (FCG) behavior of a commercial pipe grade PVC material was studied based on a linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) methodology. The FCG tests were performed under sinusoidal load control at a frequency of 5 Hz and at R-ratios (F_min/F_max) of 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5; the test temperatures were 23°C and 60°C. The creep crack growth behavior (corresponding to R = 1) was studied at a test temperature of 60°C. The results of the FCG tests revealed that fatigue crack propagation is primarily controlled by the cyclic component of the crack tip stress field rather than by the mean stress level. Comparing FCG and CCG data in terms of K_Imax and K_I, respectively, also confirmed the deteriorating effect of the fatigue loading on the crack growth resistance. Fracture surface investigations for both fatigue and static loading were performed to gain insight into the micromechanisms of crack advance.     

Dynamic fracture testing of polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) single-edge notched beam

Dynamic fracture in single-edge notched polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) beams have been investigated by three-point-bending impact testing with a drop-weight machine. A high-speed camera combined with the digital image correlation (DIC) method is used to capture the impact-induced crack initiation and propagation, as well as the beam deformation fields and the open mode strain at the original notch tip. The crack propagation length is recorded and the instantaneous crack velocity is calculated. Furthermore, the dynamic fracture toughness K_Id is quantified from the loading-displacement relations at different impact velocities. The effects of the impact velocity and impact energy on dynamic fracture toughness, fracture initiation strain, as well as the corresponding influences on the fracture propagation velocity, are discussed.     

J0.2-values by impact testing

A drop weight testing machine is described to measure the J_0.2-values of polymers in impact within the frame work of fracture mechanics. By changing the weight of a piston falling from the same drop height on the specimen, the impact velocity is constant but the impact energy is varied. This principle of impact testing is applied to the three point bending test in non-linear fracture mechanics. The apparatus is additionally instrumented with a load cell and a displacement transducer to follow the energy transfer during impact deformation in more detail. It is shown that polyethylene with shear yielding develops a strong selfstabilizing effect against crack propagation, which is less pronounced in ABS which deforms by crazing.     

Refined fixture design for effective essential work of fracture toughness characterization of m-LLDPE thin films

Characterization of Mode-I fracture toughness of ductile polymeric thin films is nontrivial. Proper specimen preparation and experimental procedures are required to ensure in-plane tensile loading. In this study, a custom-built double-edge notched tensile test fixture was employed to characterize the Mode-I essential work of fracture (EWF) toughness of metallocene linear low-density polyethylene (m-LLDPE) films. Effects of specimen geometry, strain rate and film orientation on the specific essential work of fracture, w_e, and the specific non-essential work of fracture, w_p, were investigated. Results indicate both EWF parameters are independent of the crosshead speed, gauge length (distance between upper and lower clamps) and specimen width within the ranges tested. w_e is significantly higher for thinner films and for crack propagation perpendicular to the blown film machine direction (MD). The usefulness of EWF for evaluating m-LLDPE fracture toughness is discussed.     

Correlation of molecular parameters,strain hardening modulus and cyclic fatigue test performances of polyethylene materials for pressure pipe applications

Currently, several testing methods are under development to understand the resistance of polyethylene pipe materials to slow crack growth over comparably short time periods without using aggressive chemicals to accelerate the time to brittle failure. Strain hardening and crack round bar tests have recently been developed and published as ISO testing methods. However, a better understanding of these testing methods is still required with respect to the molecular parameters of the materials. Comparative studies with existing slow crack growth testing methods such as the notched pipe test are of significant interest to the industry. This study discusses correlations of molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, short chain branching and rheological properties of different polyethylene materials with their slow rack growth resistances obtained from the strain hardening and crack round bar tests and their correlations with notched pipe tests.     

Experimental and theoretical investigation of stress corrosion crack (SCC) growth of polyethylene pipes

Degradation of polymers is usually manifested in a reduction of molecular weight, increase of crystallinity in semicrystalline polymers, increase of material density, a subtle increase in yield strength, and a dramatic reduction in toughness. Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) results from strongly coupled thermo-mechano-chemical processes, and is sensitive to material composition and morphology. The individual crack propagation stage is critical in determining the lifetime of pipe. Based on author's previous works, crack layer (CL) theory model is adopted in this study to describe the individual stress corrosion (SC) crack propagation kinetics and the time interval from crack initiation to instability and break through. The effect of localized chemical degradation at the crack tip on SC crack growth kinetics is addressed. Typical SC crack growth is presented and discussed as a step-wise manner based on the proposed model. In addition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation and Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of failed samples obtained by accelerated SCC tests are applied to validate the proposed model. SEM is useful to identify the change of fracture mechanisms from chemically driven crack to mechanically driven crack by the formation of visible striations. FTIR analysis enables tracking of the accumulation of chemical degradation by detecting the amount of carbonyls on the crack surface. Carbonyl index is defined to compare the amount of chemical degradation quantitatively. The purpose of this paper is to continue to develop the technical theory and understanding behind SCC phenomena to facilitate all polymer pipe industries and in particular the polyethylene pipe industry to design better resins and piping systems.     

Fracture behavior of core-shell rubber-modified crosslinkable epoxy thermoplastics

The fracture behavior of a core-shell rubber (CSR) modified cross-linkable epoxy thermoplastic (CET) system, which exhibits high rigidity, highT _g, and low crosslink density characteristics, is examined. The toughening mechanisms in this modified CET system are found to be cavitation of the CSR particles, followed by formation of extended shear banding around the advancing crack. With an addition of only 5 wt.% CSR, the modified CET possesses a greater than five-fold increase in fracture toughness (G _IC) as well as greatly improved fatigue crack propagation resistance properties, with respect to those of the neat resin equivalents. The fracture mechanisms observed under static loading and under fatigue cyclic loading are compared and discussed.     

Alternative accelerated and short-term methods for evaluating slow crack growth in polyethylene resins with high crack resistance

The current market has widely adopted the new polyethylene pipe grade PE 100 RC (resistant to cracks) for pipe applications. However, the main drawback of this material is the long test period (∼10,000 h) required for ranking the resins. This paper proposes a modified Pennsylvania edge-notch tensile (PENT) test with higher load and temperature conditions (2.8 MPa and 90 °C). With the modified PENT test, failure time is six times shorter but slow crack growth is maintained. Additionally, it evaluates and finds an unexpected relationship between the strain hardening modulus and specimen thickness. These results suggest that the 0.30-mm thickness recommended by ISO 18488 is not optimal. Therefore, thicker specimens are proposed for accurate strain hardening modulus determination. Both methods are viable alternatives for evaluating the failure resistance of the new polyethylene pipe grades.     

Analysis of Molecular and Morphological Effects on Slow Crack Growth in Modern PE Pipe Grades by Cyclic Fracture Mechanics Tests

Summary: Three different polyethylene (PE) pipe grades as well as three different lots of one of the grades were investigated by cyclic tests with cracked round bar (CRB) specimens, concerning resistance to slow crack growth. To enhance the test sensibility and proof its applicability for a quick quality assurance method various molecular and morphological characterizations on compression molded plates were carried out, with special attention on the influence of molecular and morphological differences, as well as lot to lot variations on the resistance to slow crack growth. The cyclic CRB tests allowed a ranking of the different pipe grades and lots with short testing times per material and testing machine, as a function of failure time as well as of crack initiation time with further reduction of testing time of about 50%. Moreover the ranking corresponded to the expectations based on the molecular and morphological properties of the materials, where only minor changes in the molecular mass distribution and the co-monomer concentration in case of lot to lot variations were proofed reliably.     

The application of fracture mechanics to the impact behaviour of rubber-toughened polyamides

Rubber-modification of polyamide is a widely-applied method of improving material resistance under high strain rate loading. The processing conditions used for preparing such two-phase blends strongly influence their structure and thus their subsequent impact properties. In the present work the relationships between production parameters, phase structure and impact resistance have been studied, and the rǒle of the rubber phase in promoting energy absorption investigated. It has been found that improved impact resistance, defined as a combination of high resistance to crack initiation and to crack propagation, is achieved by decreasing the polyamide phase viscosity while increasing the extrusion and injection temperatures, the mixing shear rate and the rubber phase volume fraction; an EPR modifier offers superior performance to a polybutadiene modifier; the dominant mechanisms of energy-absorption are shearing and void formation, there being no clear evidence of crazing; the J-integral technique of plastic fracture mechanics can be applied to Charpy impact testing; TEM allied with image analysis techniques provides quantitative morphological information on polymer blends.     

Effect of wood sawdust filler on the mechanical properties of Indian mallow fiber yarn mat reinforced with polyester composites

The research article focused on the effect of wood sawdust as secondary filler reinforcement in Indian mallow fiber yarn mat reinforced with polyester composites. Composites were fabricated along the transverse and longitudinal orientation in six different combinations by compression molding machine. The mechanical properties of composites by single and double layer yarn mat with and without wood sawdust filler were evaluated while loading composites specimen on warp and weft direction at the first time in this research paper. The Indian mallow fiber double layer longitudinal orientation yarn mat/wood sawdust filler/polyester composite specimen along the warp direction was found to exhibit optimum mechanical properties compared to other composites. Furthermore, the Indian mallow fiber yarn mat composites were fabricated with helmet and civil construction pipes at first time in this work to replace the synthetic fiber through natural fiber. Scanning electron microscopy was performed to study the morphologies of internal crack and fractured surface of composites.     

Quasi-static failure behaviour of PMMA under combined shear–compression loading

Quasi-static shear–compression tests were conducted on polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) polymer specimens using a universal materials testing machine to investigate their failure behaviour under quasi-static multi-axial loading. Instead of using confining pressure, cylindrical specimens with bevelled ends of different angles (5°, 10°, 15°, 20°, 25° and 30°) were used to generate different shear stresses. In addition, a cylindrical specimen with no bevelled ends and a hat specimen of PMMA were applied in the quasi-static shear–compression tests to determine the compression and shear strengths of PMMA, respectively. Experimental results show that the failure force of PMMA decreased as the tilt angle of the specimen increased. Furthermore, the failure locus of the material can be predicted using a macroscopic failure criterion with an elliptical shape. The deformation modes of each type of PMMA specimen under quasi-static loading were determined.     

Characterization and modeling of slow crack growth behaviors of defective high-density polyethylene pipes using stiff-constant K specimen

In this study, slow crack growth (SCG) resistances of defective and normal high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes were measured using the stiff-constant K (SCK) specimen, where the stress intensity factor (SIF) was maintained at a constant value within a certain crack length range. A significantly reduced SCG resistance was observed in the defective pipe; a detailed procedure for evaluating SCG kinetics using the SCK specimen has been provided herein. The results of a fracture surface analysis indicate that the white window patterns, resulting from poor carbon black dispersion, are the main reason for poor SCG performance. In addition, a crack layer (CL) model was derived for the SCK specimen geometry and was compared with experimental results. It was observed that the crack and process zone growth resistance parameters were significantly lower in the case of the defected pipe than those in the case of the normal pipe.     

苯系物扩散管气体标准物质的研制

按照ISO 6145—2003、ISO 6144—1998标准,研制了新型气体标准物质动态配气装置,实现了微机对动态配气装置主要参数数据的实时监控。用该装置研制了氮中微量苯系物扩散管气体标准物质,量值的相对扩展不确定度为2％-3％,并与静态容量法配气进行了比较。     

Corrosion fatigue on 2024T3 and 6056T4 aluminum alloys

Fatigue corrosion phenomenon is a form of degradation that is because of the combined occurrence of a mechanical cyclical stress and a corrosive environment. Fatigue corrosion can be an issue in commercial and military aircraft, and has the potential to affect the structural integrity and the useful life of an aerostructure. Although the distinct consequences of both fatigue and corrosion have been extensively documented for aluminum alloys, their synergistic action is not completely understood and continues to be an area of considerable scientific and industrial interest. In this paper, a novel approach is proposed and applied for monitoring the electrochemical behavior of different types of aluminum alloy samples while they are subjected to fatigue loading. Cyclic load experiments were conducted on bare 2024T3 and 6056T4 aluminum alloy samples in the presence of an aggressive aerated solution of 3.5% NaCl over a range of frequencies. The R‐ratio was 0. Two different aluminum alloys have been tested in both high‐ and low‐cycle fatigue. In the former case, the maximum stress experienced by the specimen is lower than the material yield strength, which means that the average expected number of cycles to failure is high; in the latter case, the maximum stress experienced by the specimen during the test is higher than the material yield strength, which means that the average expected number of cycles to failure is low. The open circuit potential(OCP) was monitored versus time during the tests described above. The observed OCP variations are interpreted as the occurrence of corrosion during crack initiation and propagation at the air formed oxide/solution interface film. As expected, there is a more pronounced influence of corrosion at lower fatigue frequencies. Crack propagation allows bulk material to be progressively more exposed to the aggressive environment, which stimulates accelerated crack propagation, resulting in a lower fatigue resistance. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of Potential Perturbation Polarization on the Stress Corrosion Cracking of Type 321 Stainless Steel

Ithasbeenwidelyacceptedthatelectrochemicalcorrosionreactionsareinvolvedinthe.stresscorrosioncrackingprocessesofmostmetaljaqueoussolutionsystems'.Accordingtothecharacteristicsofdynamicstrainatthecracktipofmetal,itisofgreatimportancetostudytheinfluenceofvariedpotentialsonthedynamicstrainprocessatcracktipbydifferentpotentialpertllrbationsbetweenanodicandcathodicpotCntials.SmoothcylindricaltensilespecimenwasusedinSSRT(strainrate4.l6x's-').Allexperimentswereperformedino.75molILHCl O.25molILNa…