Impact of material and physical parameters of the crack layer theory on slow crack growth behavior of high density polyethylene

The crack layer theory, proposed by A. Chudnovsky many years ago, can be a very effective tool to quantitatively model slow crack growth in engineering thermoplastics. However, the large number of input parameters required by this theory has been a technical hurdle for its use in industrial and research applications. Thus, in order to achieve a practical applicability of the crack layer theory, a clear understanding of the effect of each parameter on slow crack growth is quite important. In this study, simulations of slow crack growth in high density polyethylene are performed using the crack layer theory for various key parameters, and the effect of each parameter on crack growth behavior in high density polyethylene is investigated.