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Influence of Low-density Polyethylene Blown Film

Thickness on the Mechanical Properties and Fracture
Toughness
Article in Journal of Plastic Film and Sheeting · September 2013

DOI: 10.1177/8756087913483751
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Journal of Plastic Film and
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Influence of low-density polyethylene blown film thickness on the

mechanical properties and fracture toughness
M Rennert, M Nase, R Lach, K Reincke, S Arndt, R Androsch and W Grellmann
Journal of Plastic Film and Sheeting published online 2 May 2013
DOI: 10.1177/8756087913483751
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Influence of low-density ß The Author(s) 2013
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DOI: 10.1177/8756087913483751
thickness on the jpf.sagepub.com
mechanical properties
and fracture toughness
M Rennert1, M Nase1, R Lach2,

K Reincke2, S Arndt3, R Androsch3 and
W Grellmann1,2
Abstract
Recent research has shown that the resistance against crack initiation and propa-
gation of polyethylene blown films depends on density, chain branching and crystal
orientation next to the processing parameters. To assess low-density polyethylene
blown film fracture toughness with different thicknesses, the essential work of
fracture method has been conducted in this study. The thickness of the investi-
gated low-density polyethylene films was regulated by the draw down ratio, which
causes low-density polyethylene crystal orientation with the chain axis parallel to
the machine direction at higher draw down ratios, influencing mechanical param-
eters and the fracture toughness. The crystal orientation was measured by X-ray
diffraction. Blown films with thicknesses equal to or greater than 200 mm exhibit
no preferred orientation, which is consistent with various calculated mechanical
and fracture mechanics parameters. Films of less than 200 mm thickness show
preferred machine direction crystal orientation and a distinct thickness influence
on mechanical and fracture mechanics parameters.
Keywords
Low-density polyethylene blown film, draw down ratio, crystal orientation, X-ray
diffraction, fracture toughness, essential work of fracture
1
Institute of Polymer Materials e.V., Geusaer Str, Merseburg, Germany
2
Polymer Service GmbH Merseburg, Geusaer Str, Merseburg, Germany
3
Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Center of Engineering Science, Halle (Saale), Germany
Corresponding author:
M Nase, Institute of Polymer Materials e.V., Geusaer Str, Geb 131, 06217 Merseburg, Germany.
Email: michael.nase@psm.uni-halle.de

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2 Journal of Plastic Film & Sheeting 0(0)
Introduction
Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films have widespread applications, espe-
cially in the packaging industry. While the requirements on plastic films, like
weight reduction or material savings (down gauging), are steadily growing,
the technical reliability still has to be warranted. Polyethylene (PE) films have
been extensively investigated for decades and it is formally known that mech-
anical and fracture mechanics properties strongly depend, among others, on
the crystalline phase orientation, which, in turn, is controlled by the process-
ing conditions.1–7 The crystalline phase orientation in blown films is compli-
cated due to variable, sequential transverse and axial loadings. This causes
crystal re-orientation during processing before cooling fixes the final struc-
ture. In extreme cases, molecules in crystals are oriented with their long axis in
machine direction (MD) or in transverse direction (TD).
In particular, the film drawing conditions in the longitudinal direction
cause a predominant MD deformation during the blown film process
(Figure 1), depending on the type of PE. For LDPE, higher draw down
ratios (DDR), i.e. more pronounced orthorhombic unit cell a-axis orientation
parallel to MD, create a row-nucleated structure.8,9 For high-density poly-
ethylene (HDPE), the a-axis is perpendicular to MD at high DDR, i.e. high
orientation stress and parallel to MD for lower DDR levels.9 Previous studies
have shown that reducing LDPE film thickness by higher DDR causes higher
tensile strength and lower tear resistance parallel to the MD than in TD.10–12
In contrast, a higher b-axis orientation in TD of LDPE-based multilayer
blown films cause higher TD tensile strength, elongation at break and tear
resistance.13 Fracture mechanics parameters become even more important for
packaging solutions since crack initiation and propagation has to be con-
sidered. For peel film packages, the crack initiation and propagation behavior
has to be adjusted in such a way that on the one hand the package is closed
and on the other hand, it are easy to open.14

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Rennert et al. 3
Figure 1. Blown-film process and specimen preparation directions; pre-notched trapez-

oidal specimen for characterizing MD-tear resistance and a DDENT specimen for EWF
measurements in MD.
MD: machine direction; EWF: essential work of fracture; DDENT: deeply double-edge-
notched tension.
Over the last two decades, several criteria for geometry-independent param-
eters have been specified to determine fracture mechanics parameters.15 With
geometry-independent parameters, it has become possible to investigate poly-
mer materials. Generally, fracture mechanics parameters of linear-elastic frac-
ture mechanics like energy release rate, GIC, or stress intensity factor, K, can
hardly be used to assess the fracture toughness due to the large-scale yielding of
thin PE films. Therefore, to characterize ductile polymer film fracture behavior,
the essential work of fracture (EWF) method was introduced, which even con-
siders energy dissipation that is far away from the crack tip.16–19 Compared with
other approaches in fracture mechanics, some caution has to be exercised
because the specimen’s geometry (e.g. its thickness) interferes with the struc-
ture–property correlations with this methodology. Therefore, the geometrical
preconditions for applying the EWF concept have been critically reviewed in
a previous article.20 In our experimental investigations21 dealing with com-
pression molded, low-oriented polypropylene (PP) films with thicknesses of
0.16–1.2 mm films, it was also found that the thickness has a pronounced
effect on the EWF mechanics parameters. This energy dissipation is called
non-EWF, Wp, and is responsible for crack propagation. The energy, which
is necessary to initiate the crack (energy dissipation around the crack tip) is
called EWF, We. The total work of fracture, Wf, is the sum of both energy
dissipations and is given by equation (1)
Wf ¼ We þ Wp ¼ ðwe B l Þ þ ð wp B l2 Þ ð1Þ

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where
B ¼ specimen thickness within the ligament

l ¼ ligament length
¼ shape factor of the plastic zone
Wf ¼ total work of fracture
We ¼ EWF
Wp ¼ non-EWF
wf ¼ specific total work of fracture
we ¼ specific EWF
wp ¼ specific non-EWF
The outcome of Wf in relation to the loaded cross-section of the ligament

Bl is the specific total work of fracture wf, shown in equation (2)
wf ¼ we þ wp ¼ we þ wp l ð2Þ
The simple implementation is accompanied by methodical preconditions

and requirements for the specimen geometry (Figure 2), which must be ful-
filled in order to apply the EWF method:20–22
. crack initiation and propagation after plastic deformation of the com-

plete ligament (plastic collapse)
. the ligament has to be limited to keep the specimen in pure plane-stress
conditions during testing
. self-similarity of recorded load–displacement curves with different
ligaments
Figure 2. Requirements to apply the essential work of fracture method.

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Rennert et al. 5
The plane stress condition requirement is achieved for all values of wf for
which Hill’s criterion is applied, i.e. N ¼ 1.15 y (10%) in case of deeply
double-edge-notched tension (DDENT) specimens with N – net section stress
(ratio of the maximum load of load–displacement diagrams and Bl) and
y – yield stress from uniaxial tensile test.23 Due to the linearity between
the specific work of fracture and the ligament length for a given specimen
thickness, the intercept of the linear function with the y-axis represents we,
while its slope demonstrates the plastic constraint wp. To be analogous to the
crack resistance concept of elastic–plastic fracture mechanics, we and wp can
be interpreted as resistance against stable crack initiation and propagation,
respectively.24
Using the EWF method, previous studies25–27 have shown that the resist-
ance against crack initiation, we, is independent of the samples thickness but
strongly dependent on the molecular orientation for polymeric films in a
range of 50–250 mm. On the other hand, wp seems to be independent of
the molecular orientation but increases with the specimen thickness. Choi
et al.28 observed higher values of we for semi-crystalline PE films with den-
sities close to 0.920 g/cm3 (LLDPE), measured perpendicular to the streamline
of the extrusion than for densities of about 0.940 g/cm3 (HDPE).
The relationship between energy dissipation during loading and morpho-
logical parameters like crystalline phase orientation of blown semi-crystalline
films is not completely understood. This study made a contribution to the
understanding of this relationship in greater detail. Furthermore, the sensitiv-
ities of different fracture mechanics parameters were investigated.
Experimental
Materials and specimens
The LDPE blown films used in this study were produced by Orbita-Film
GmbH (Germany) and are commercial packaging films. The LDPE used was
Lupolen 2420F by LyondellBasell (Germany) with a density of 0.923 g/cm3
and a melt mass-flow rate of 0.73 g/10 min, determined at 190 C with a
2.16 kg load. The degree of crystallinity is about 38%. The films were made
with a blown film process using standard conditions (Figure 1 and Table 1).
The different thicknesses were realized by varying the DDR, while the other
processing parameters were kept constant. Increasing the DDR from approxi-
mately 1:5 to 1:20 elongated the film tube in MD and thinned the films from
400 to 15 mm.

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Table 1. Processing conditions of blown films of LDPE.
Extruder parameters Maddock mix and shear elements

100 r/min screw speed
Temperature profile: 140–160–180–180–180 C
Die head parameters Temperature profile: 180–180–180–180 C
Die gap: 0.8 mm
Tube formation Time of solidification 1.8 s
Blow-up ratio 1:2
Draw-down ratio 1:7.85
LDPE: low-density polyethylene.
Wide-angle X-ray scattering

Two-dimensional wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) patterns were mea-
sured using a Furnas WAXS/SAXS film camera with 0.5 mm pinhole colli-
mation and Ni-filtered CuKa radiation of 0.15418 nm wavelength. The
sample-to-film distance was about 30 mm. Sample films were stacked and
placed with the film normally oriented parallel to the X-ray beam. As such,
the recorded X-ray pattern allowed evaluation of preferred crystal orientation
in the MD–TD plane of the extruded films.
Mechanical and fracture mechanics tests

Several mechanical and fracture mechanics tests estimated film thickness
influence on the mechanical and fracture mechanics properties. The tensile
strength was determined according to DIN EN ISO 52729 with a 50 mm/min
crosshead speed and standard type 5 tensile specimens. A standard tearing
test was used to investigate the MD and TD tear resistance Ts as a function of
specimen thickness according to DIN 53363.30,31 Trapezoid specimen
(120 50 B mm3, 15 bevel) with a single notch (Figure 1) and a Zwicki
tensile-testing machine (Zwick/Roell, Germany) with an initial 50 mm clamp
distance and a 10 mm/min testing speed were used. Tensile impact tests
according to DIN EN ISO 825632 were performed with a tensile impact
tester Resil Impactor Junior (CEAST, Italy) to characterize the toughness
as a function of the specimen thickness in MD and TD. At least 10 double-
edge-notched tension (DENT) specimens (80 10 B mm3) cut with 2 mm
deep V-notches having a 0.25 mm notch radius and were used for impact
testing. The number and size (i.e. 80 10 B mm3) of unnotched specimens
used for impact testing were the same as for the notched samples.
Fracture mechanics characteristics were determined using the EWF
method. The EWF method was performed under quasi-static tensile loading
conditions using a universal testing machine Zwick Z2020 (Zwick/Roell,

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Rennert et al. 7
Germany) equipped with clamps having an initial 50 mm distance, at a

10 mm/min testing speed. DDENT specimens (Figure 1) (100 25 B mm3)
were cut in MD and in TD. Notching occurs as a two-step procedure. The
film specimens were pre-notched by metallic blades that are part of the
punches for specimen preparation and pressed into the films. The obtained
notches to be in line were sharpened subsequently using fresh razor blades
having a tip radius of approximately 0.2 mm. As shown by a round robin test
on polyethylene terephthalate (also see study of Clutton23), the notching pro-
cedure and especially the notch-tip radius clearly affect the specific EWF (we)
values. The lower the notch-tip radius is, the lower is we, with the lower values
for scalpel or razor blade notches having a radius of about 1 mm. This value is
clearly below 0.58 mm (580 mm), the critical notch-tip radius for PE at the
more critical plane strain condition.33 The dependence on fracture toughness
parameters of the notching technique has also been observed by Martı́nez
et al.34 and Salazar et al.35 for bulk ethylene-propylene block copolymers and
by Yamakawa et al.36 in polyamide 6. The ligament length l was varied from 3
to 13 mm, in 2 mm steps and measured after testing with a Keyence VHX-
500 F optical microscope. The DDENT specimens were preloaded with
0.02 N followed by uniaxial loading at a constant 10 mm/min traverse
speed. For each thickness and orientation, 30 specimens were tested. The
investigation of the resistance against crack initiation in MD implies notching
in TD or loading in MD.
Results and discussion

Crystal orientation
We hypothesize that the DDR controls the blown film thickness, which in
turn influences the crystal orientation. To investigate this assumption, the
crystal orientation was analyzed by WAXS. Figure 3 shows LDPE WAXS
patterns for different thicknesses. The top left schematic provides information
about the film sample orientation and the lattice planes analyzed.

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Figure 3. LDPE blown film WAXS as a function of their draw-down ratio and corres-
ponding film thickness.
LDPE: low-density polyethylene; WAXS: wide-angle X-ray scattering.
The WAXS data reveal that for LDPE films with thickness 200 mm, no
preferred crystal orientation is detected since the 110 and 200 scattering peak
intensity is equally distributed on the diffraction rings (isotropic, closed ring).
In contrast, if the film thickness is less than 200 mm, then the a-axis (200 plane) of
the unit cell shows preferred orientation parallel to MD. The degree of orientation
increases with decreasing film sample thickness as a consequence of the high stress
during the drawing (anisotropic, interrupted black maxima). The b-axis (020
plane) of the unit cell, correspondingly, shows preferred orientation in TD, as
can be seen in the 15 mm sample X-ray pattern. A similar a- and b-axis distribution
of the LPDE orthorhombic unit cell was also shown by Keller and Machin.37
With increasing film thickness and decreasing DDR, the crystalline orientation
becomes isotropic, i.e. the crystal structure is more randomly oriented.
Mechanical properties
This study investigated the influence of the LDPE blown film thickness on mech-
anical properties, considering the extrusion direction. Tensile testing showed that
the tensile strength max is independent of the thickness from 50 to 400 mm (or
DDR), as well as the investigated direction (Figure 4(a)). However, thinner 15 mm
films show increased tensile strength in MD and decreased strength in the TD,
analogous to the study of Yilmazer.10

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Rennert et al. 9
Figure 4. LDPE film mechanical parameters: (a) tensile strength max, tear resistance Ts,
(c) tensile impact strength atU and notched tensile impact strength atN and (d) notch sen-
sitivity [atN/atU] versus film thickness, parallel and transverse to the loading direction.
We can say that by keeping the other processing parameters constant,

increasing DDR causes higher MD crystal orientation (Figure 3) and most
likely oriented amorphous tie molecules due to the high stress during film
drawing, thus causing higher tensile strength in the MD.
A reverse trend to that discussed in the literature was observed for the tear
resistance (Figure 4(b)). In fact, tear resistance is higher in MD and lower in TD
but the curves do not run contrary to a balanced tear resistance (dashed line in
Figure 4(b)) at lower DDR, as shown by Zhang et al.1 Even the deformation in
the area far away from the crack tip is minimized due to the sharp notch of the
specimen. The investigated samples did not show only mode I crack propaga-
tion, which requires a symmetrical crack tip opening. With increasing crack
propagation, a mixed mode behavior of mode I and a further sliding of the

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crack surfaces in the crack plane (mode II) could be observed, which may lead to
the unexpected high TD tear resistance at lower thickness and high DDR.
Furthermore, it is supposed that beside the crystal orientation, the geometry,
i.e. the film thickness, has a distinct influence on the tear resistance. The tear
resistance has not been considered as a geometry-independent value. There may
be a change from pure plane-stress condition to a mixed condition of plane-
stress/plane-strain with increasing film thickness.38
Regarding the impact tests (Figure 4(c)), the notched tensile impact
strength decreased at lower DDR and/or increased film thickness in the
MD and TD. This is in accordance with the tear resistance, although the
notch used for the tensile impact test is more rounded, i.e. it has a larger
radius. While the notched tensile impact strength had standard deviations less
than 6%, it is more difficult to interpret correlations with standard deviations
greater than 10% for the specific values of the tensile impact test, wherein
unnotched specimens were used. As a consequence, if there is no prescribed
test method, it is recommended to use notched specimens for such toughness
tests to evaluate the structural influence, as they provide more reliable and
reproducible results.
Figure 4(d) shows notch sensitivity as the notched tensile impact strength
divided by the unnotched tensile strength atN/atU . As the result deviates from
1 (100%), the more distinct is the influence of the notch and the notch radius.
The notch sensitivity has a high relevance in the packaging industry, e.g. for
easy opening applications. In this study, the notch sensitivity has a minimum
at about 200 mm. It is proposed that the notch sensitivity minimum is a con-
sequence of the change of a pure plane-stress to a plane-stress/plane-strain
condition, as mentioned above.
The tensile test results show good accordance with the measured crystalline
phase orientation. The tearing test and the tensile impact test reveal an unex-
pected behavior in the TD, i.e. notching in MD. It was expected that the tear
resistance and the notched tensile impact strength will show increasing values
with increasing film thickness and decreasing DDR. The measured values may
be predominantly due to geometry. Therefore, to get a deeper insight into the
morphology-related crack initiation and propagation behavior, we estimated
fracture mechanics values using the EWF concept.
Essential work of fracture method

A successful application of the EWF concept requires:
. a large-scale yielding of the ligament

. pure plane-stress conditions
. and geometrical similarity.

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Rennert et al. 11
The load–displacement diagrams in Figures 5 and 6 imply maximum load

points followed by a drop, which is associated with crack initiation after
complete ligament yielding and a continuing crack growth (see Figure 2).
Full yielding could be easily observed by evolution of the plastic zone size
because the plastic zone is related to the film thinning within the ligament,
which was visible to the naked eye due to the high film transparency.
Figure 5. Self-similarity of measured load-displacement diagrams of LDPE blown films

(l ¼ 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 mm) for a thickness of (a) 15 mm, (b) 150 mm and (c) 400 mm in
machine direction.

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Figure 6. Self-similarity of measured load-displacement diagrams of LDPE blown films

(l ¼ 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 mm) for a thickness of (a) 15 mm, (b) 150 mm and (c) 400 mm in
transverse direction.
Furthermore, the self-similarity for the various ligament lengths in each set
is maintained in both directions. Finally, the almost net section stress inde-
pendence of the ligament length according to Hill’s criterion was proved and a
pure plane-stress condition was verified (Figure 7(a)–(c)), taking account of
DDENT specimens, where 10% deviations are still valid.23 Consequently,
the EWF method could be applied in this case.

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Rennert et al. 13
Figure 7. Net section stress in relation to the length l of the ligament to verify the
plane stress condition for a film thickness of (a) 15 mm, (b) 150 mm and (c) 400 mm.
To quantify the resistance against crack initiation and (stable) crack propa-
gation, the specific EWF we and the plastic constraint wp were determined
(Figure 8(a)–(c)).

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Figure 8. Specific work of fracture versus ligament length l for a film thickness:
(a) 15 mm, (b) 150 mm and (c) 400 mm parallel and perpendicular to MD (standard devi-
ation is grayed in the background).
MD: machine direction.
For the fracture energy calculation according to equation (2), the true
ligament lengths, which resulted from the post-fracture microscopy measure-
ments, were used. Plotting the data as a function of the ligament size, a
y-intercept of the fit can be determined, i.e. we, representing the energy,
which is necessary to initiate the crack. The specific non-EWF, i.e. the resist-
ance against crack propagation, is represented by the slope of the curve (wp).
These two calculated parameters (we and wp) were plotted against the film
thickness, as shown in Figure 9 and Table 2. Contrary to amorphous

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Rennert et al. 15
materials, which assume a general film thickness independence of we,22 the

resistance against crack initiation decreases with increasing film thickness for
the LDPE in MD, i.e. notching in TD, down to a constant level starting at
200 mm, while it is constant in TD. This is consistent with the assumption that
high DDR cause a predominant molecular MD orientation causing a favor-
able MD crack initiation and propagation. The very different shapes of we or
wp versus films thickness as a function of the orientation (MD or TD) clearly
indicate that the observed crack initiation and propagation behavior is not
mainly a geometry-dependent effect of the of the EWF concept. A similar
anisotropic character for PE films was found by Fasce et al.39 using the EWF
as an appropriate and sensitive method to investigate changes in molecular
structure through the film drawing and ultraviolet radiation.
Figure 9. Resistance against crack initiation and crack propagation represented by

(a) the specific essential work of fracture and (b) specific non-essential work of fracture
in relation to the draw-down ratio or film thickness parallel and transverse to the load-
ing direction.

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Table 2. Values of specific essential work of fracture and specific non-essential work of
fracture for different thicknesses (including standard deviations MD and TD).
Specific essential work of Specific non-essential work of

fracture we (N mm2) fracture wp (N mm2)
Thickness
B (mm) MD sMD TD sTD MD sMD TD sTD
15 43.4 7.4 9.3 1.7 9.32 0.9 3.14 0.2

50 24.3 1.6 11.0 1.3 7.54 0.2 5.11 0.2
150 16.3 0.6 15.9 0.9 6.21 0.1 6.50 0.1
200 10.7 0.8 13.6 0.8 6.69 0.1 6.97 0.1
250 7.5 0.8 6.7 0.8 6.65 0.1 7.12 0.1
300 8.3 0.8 9.0 1.0 6.76 0.1 6.86 0.1
350 8.8 0.8 9.6 0.7 6.59 0.1 6.86 0.1
400 6.1 1.3 6.4 0.8 7.36 0.2 7.42 0.1
MD: machine direction; TD: transverse direction.
When plotting the specific non-essential energy absorption (wp) versus the
film thickness (Figure 9(b)), an opposite curve progression for MD and TD is
shown at low film thicknesses. With increasing film thickness, the resistance
against stable crack propagation increases perpendicular to MD, while it
decreases in MD. A constant crack propagation level for both directions
can be observed with increasing film thickness starting at about 100 mm,
resulting from an increasingly anisotropic crystalline orientation. Thus,
using the EWF method the relationship between molecular orientation and
fracture mechanics properties has been clearly established.
Conclusion
In this study, the influence of the LDPE blown film thickness varied by the
DDR on the mechanical and fracture mechanics behavior was investigated
using various testing and analytical methods.
X-ray diffraction measurements have shown that there is predominant
crystal orientation along the MD due to high stress during the blown-film
drawing process. Low draw levels cause an isotropic crystal orientation. This
was also demonstrated by the mechanical and fracture mechanics parameters
but not all determined parameters have the necessary sensitivity to identify a
preferred orientation at low film thicknesses.
The fracture mechanics data reveal that with increasing film thickness, the
resistance against stable crack propagation in TD, i.e. loading in MD,
decreases. The resistance of crack propagations in MD, i.e. loading in TD,
on the other side increases due to the decreasing directionally dependent

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Rennert et al. 17
crystal orientation. A constant resistance for stable crack propagation in both

directions can be observed with increasing film thickness, starting at about
150 mm. By adopting the EWF method, the relationship between molecular
orientation and fracture mechanics properties can be established.
Based on the results discussed above, it can be concluded that for each
purpose an appropriate selection of test methods and material parameters has
to be determined. Particularly when down gauging PE films, the experimental
conditions have to be chosen carefully in order to reduce the influence of
experimental uncertainties.
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Biographies
M Rennert received his diploma in Polymer Engineering and Business at the
Center of Engineering of the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg,
Germany. He has continued to complete his PhD in ‘Investigation of
structure-property relationships of adhesive film systems using fracture
mechanics methods’. His research interests include adhesion mechanism of
thin film applications.
M Nase received his master of Material Science and Engineering at the

Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, where he obtained his PhD for
his investigation in morphology-property correlations of peel films in 2009.
His research interests include structure-property relationships of both cohe-
sive and adhesive peel film systems.
R Lach is a Senior Scientist at the Center of Engineering Science of the

Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. He received his
Diploma in Physics from the University Rostock (Germany) in 1991 and
his PhD in Materials Science from the Martin-Luther-University in 1997
working on the fracture behavior of polymer materials. In, 1999/2000/2003
and 2007–2008 he held different Postdoc positions at the Vienna University of
Technology (Austria), the Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata

XML Template (2013) [27.4.2013–4:08pm] [1–21]
(Argentina), and the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden

(Germany). His current research interests focus on deformation and fracture
behavior of pipe-grade polymers and thin polymer sheets using fracture
mechanics approaches and indentation techniques.
K Reincke studied Materials Science at the University of Technology Leuna-

Merseburg (Germany) and the Martin-Luther-University of Halle-
Wittenberg between 1989 and 1995. Since 1996 she has worked as Scientific
Assistant in the group of Wolfgang Grellmann at the Center of Engineering
Science of the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg.
S Arndt graduated from the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg in

2011 with a diploma of Business Engineering. Thereafter he performed var-
ious duties in polymer testing laboratories as a Scientific Assistant of the
Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg and the University of Applied
Sciences in Merseburg (Germany). Since 2012, he joined a research project,
supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, for developing
a high definition acoustic ultrasonic test technology, which enables the detec-
tion and classification of in homogeneities and welding defects in plastic
components.
R Androsch is an Associate Professor at the Center of Engineering Sciences at

the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg (Germany) where he teaches
courses in General Materials Science and Polymeric Materials. He studied
Polymeric Materials Science at the University of Technology Leuna-
Merseburg (Germany), and received his PhD degree in 1993 for research in
the field of crystallization of polyester blends. In 1995, René Androsch was
awarded with the Alexander-von-Humboldt Fellowship. Following several
research sabbaticals in the groups of John Blackwell in 1996 (CWRU) and
Bernhard Wunderlich in 1998/1999 (UTK/ORNL), he completed his
‘Habilitation’ at the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg in 2005.
His research interests include structure and morphology of semicrystalline
polymers, polymer crystallization and melting, the polymorphism of poly-
mers, and structure–property relationships. René Androsch has published 3
book chapters and more than 85 peer-reviewed articles in international
journals.
W Grellmann is Director of the Polymer Service GmbH Merseburg and holds

a position as a Professor of Materials Diagnostics/Materials Testing at the
Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg. He received his Diploma
in Physics in 1974 and his PhD in Materials Science in 1978 from the

XML Template (2013) [27.4.2013–4:08pm] [1–21]
Rennert et al. 21
Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg working on the recording hard-

ness testing of glasses and ceramics. In 1986 he finished his ‘Habilitation’
thesis dealing with the assessment of toughness behavior of polymers materi-
als using fracture mechanics parameters. His research interests include experi-
mental methods of engineering fracture mechanics, deformation and fracture
behavior of polymers and composites, hybrid methods in non-destructive
materials testing, failure analysis, aging phenomena as well as biocompatible
materials and medical implants.
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Inﬂuence of Low-density Polyethylene Blown Film

Article in Journal of Plastic Film and Sheeting · September 2013

Ralf Lach Katrin Reincke

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Lebensdauerabschätzung von Polymerwerkstoffen – Möglichkeiten und Grenzen View project

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Influence of low-density polyethylene blown film thickness on the

The online version of this article can be found at:

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>> OnlineFirst Version of Record - May 2, 2013

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M Rennert1, M Nase1, R Lach2,

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2 Journal of Plastic Film & Sheeting 0(0)

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Figure 1. Blown-film process and specimen preparation directions; pre-notched trapez-

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4 Journal of Plastic Film & Sheeting 0(0)

B ¼ specimen thickness within the ligament

The outcome of Wf in relation to the loaded cross-section of the ligament

The simple implementation is accompanied by methodical preconditions

. crack initiation and propagation after plastic deformation of the com-

Figure 2. Requirements to apply the essential work of fracture method.

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6 Journal of Plastic Film & Sheeting 0(0)

Table 1. Processing conditions of blown films of LDPE.

Extruder parameters Maddock mix and shear elements

Wide-angle X-ray scattering

Mechanical and fracture mechanics tests

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Germany) equipped with clamps having an initial 50 mm distance, at a

Results and discussion

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8 Journal of Plastic Film & Sheeting 0(0)

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We can say that by keeping the other processing parameters constant,

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10 Journal of Plastic Film & Sheeting 0(0)

Essential work of fracture method

. a large-scale yielding of the ligament

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The load–displacement diagrams in Figures 5 and 6 imply maximum load

Figure 5. Self-similarity of measured load-displacement diagrams of LDPE blown films

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12 Journal of Plastic Film & Sheeting 0(0)

Figure 6. Self-similarity of measured load-displacement diagrams of LDPE blown films

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14 Journal of Plastic Film & Sheeting 0(0)

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materials, which assume a general ﬁlm thickness independence of we,22 the

Figure 9. Resistance against crack initiation and crack propagation represented by

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16 Journal of Plastic Film & Sheeting 0(0)

Specific essential work of Specific non-essential work of

15 43.4 7.4 9.3 1.7 9.32 0.9 3.14 0.2

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crystal orientation. A constant resistance for stable crack propagation in both

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18 Journal of Plastic Film & Sheeting 0(0)

14. Nase M, Langer B and Grellmann W. Fracture mechanics of polyethylene/poly-