Occurrence of rippling during the deformation of oriented polyethylene

Rippling is another mode, in addition to kink-band formation, by which oriented polyethylene can deform and results in a profuse and irregular waviness in the fibrils. For the medium-density and high-density polyethylenes investigated, rippling tended to occur only at strain rates below about 1 min^?1 at 25°C. Above this rate, kink bands tended to form. It is suggested that rippling results from easy slip between the fibrils of the oriented polymers and from the resistance of the fibrils to shortening under a compressive stress. The applied shear stress is reduced by the easy slip to a simple compression along the fibrils, and this distorts the fibril into the series of waves that constitutes rippling. Stress–strain measurements confirm that fibril slip is considerably easier under the rates at which rippling occurs than at the rates at which kink bands form.