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Creep crack growth in joints of a thermoplastic

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Abstract

An investigation of creep crack growth in butt heat fusion joints in a high density polyethylene (HDPE) is performed to quantify their life expectancy. Three point bend specimens containing a centrally located notched joint are used in creep crack growth tests at ambient and elevated temperatures. A quasi-nonlinear viscoelastic fracture mechanics model is used to deduce the crack growth histories from the measured load-point displacement histories. The initiation time for crack growth and the rate of crack growth are correlated with the stress intensity factor for combinations of initial crack lengths, applied loads and test temperatures. The elevated temperature data are shifted bidirectionally, utilizing shift functions derived from stress relaxation tests, to develop master curves for the initiation time and rate of crack growth. These master curves are used to predict the life of a girth joint containing an initial circumferential surface crack extending through 10 percent of the thickness of a pressurized pipe.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Engineering Mechanics, The Ohio State University, 43210, Columbus, Ohio, USA

    S. F. Popelar, C. H. Popelar & V. H. Kenner

Authors
  1. S. F. Popelar
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  2. C. H. Popelar
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  3. V. H. Kenner
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Popelar, S.F., Popelar, C.H. & Kenner, V.H. Creep crack growth in joints of a thermoplastic. Int J Fract 50, 115–130 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00035207

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00035207

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