Influence of electron‐beam irradiation on plasticity‐controlled and crack‐growth‐controlled failure in high‐density polyethylene

In the present study, influence of electron-beam irradiation on plasticity-controlled and crack-growth-controlled failure in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) is investigated effect both molecular weight distribution (MWD) short chain branching (SCB) content are taken into account. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) used to study evolution MWD sol fraction as a function dose. Here, it seen that chains shorter than percolation threshold (5 kDa) largely unaffected by electron beam radiation, while longest (M > 300 nearly entirely incorporated cross-linked network. Both yield stress Young's modulus increased with dose, where magnitude increase appears be connected gel fraction. The (fatigue) crack growth kinetics grades changed relatively little which unexpected. Furthermore, convergence parameter narrow range values could observed for at high fractions. This would imply become increasingly independent upon cross-linking, attributed shift underlying mechanism from slip scission.