Influence of micromolecular structure on environmental stress cracking resistance of high density polyethylene

摘要

Environmental stress cracking (ESC) is a serious problem for polyethylene (PE) in structural applications and can result in catastrophic failure without any visible warning. Due to the nature of polymeric materials, polyethylene with excellent short-term mechanical strength can have poor long-term performance due to environmental stress cracking. In this work, we present our recent research findings on environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR) of polyethylene. In this comprehensive overview we discuss (1) molecular structure influences on ESCR, (2) a new method for evaluating ESCR of PE, and (3) ESC modeling work, practical tips and prescriptions for producing and choosing better (higher) ESCR pipe material.