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Modeling of surface microcracking caused by ultraviolet degradation in high-density polyethylene

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Abstract

The process of surface cracking of high-density polyethylene caused by ultraviolet degradation is modeled by using the percolation method. We describe the elements of the micromechanism of cracking of polymers subjected to ultraviolet degradation and the procedure of percolation modeling. It is shown that the geometric characteristics of the generated Voronoi decompositions and simulated clusters do not affect the dependence of the characteristic size of clusters on their capacity. At the same time, the rate of surface cracking is characterized by the presence of a strong size effect.

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Karpenko Physicomechanical Institute, Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, L'viv; Faculty of Design, Engineering, and Production, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. Published in Fizyko-Khimichna Mekhanika Materialiv, Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 73–78, July–August, 1999.

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Skrypnyk, I.D., Spoormaker, J.L. Modeling of surface microcracking caused by ultraviolet degradation in high-density polyethylene. Mater Sci 35, 527–534 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02365751

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02365751

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