Evaluating the long-term strength of

polyethylene by using the Strain

Hardening Test

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Trust
Quality
Progress
SHT: Strain Hardening Test
Smart assessment of PE pipe material
Fast
Suitable for all PE types
Less material needed

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Lifetime performance of pressurised PE Pipes

Main failure mechanism

Slow Crack Growth (SCG)

• Classic tests: accelerated SCG

Higher temperatures
Detergent
Notches

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SCG explained Microscopic image of an SCG fracture

‘Brittle’ SCG fracture surface

•

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 A closer look

Fibrils
Stretched and broken

High-resolution SEM photograph of a SCG

fracture

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Schematic view of SCG

Pipe wall

crack

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Tensile test curve for PE

Yielding
Strain
Necking hardening
Stress
Strain

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Theory

Fibril formation….
…. and elongation

Yielding
Strain
Necking hardening
Stress
Strain

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Strain Hardening Test Method

0,30 mm or 1,0 mm thick

~10 gram

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Strain Hardening Test Method

Tensile test
•

Elevated temperature
Precise elongation measurement

80°C
20 mm/min
Non-contact extensometer

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Initial curve for two materials
40

35 A

30
F (N)

25 B

20

15

10
Strain
5 Hardening

0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600
ε (%)

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True stress – true strain curve
300

250
A
200 λ=8
σtrue (MPa)

True B
150
Stress λ = 12
100

50

0
0 50 100 150 200 250
64 144
NHSM (-)
Neo Hoekean Strain Measure
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Strain hardening modulus <GP>
300
Better quality <GP> = 45.2 MPa
250
A
200 λ=8
σtrue (MPa)

B
150
λ<G
= 12P> = 25.7 MPa
100

50

0
0 50 100 150 200 250
NHSM (-)

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Different types of PE

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 Consistent results 100
7,2%
90 Round Robin
•

80
7,4%
70

60
<Gp> (MPa)

4,6% 3,3%
50 5,5%

40
4,0%
30 3,1%

20

10

0
I II III IV V VI VII
E.J.W. van der Stok, F.L. Scholten, Two Complementary Tests to Determine The Quality Of PE 100-RC, Plastic Pipes XVII, Chicago,
•

2014.

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Classic way of testing

Accelerated SCG
•

Time consuming
Not suitable for all materials

IWPT
Internal Water NPT
Pressure Test Notched Pipe
Test
PENT
Pennsylvania FNCT
Notch Test Full Notch Creep
Test

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SHT correlates well with classic tests

Modern
One materials
year!

D.J.M. Havermans - van Beek, R. Deblieck, M. McCarthy, R. Kloth, L. Kurelec, An Elegant and Fast Method to Predict
the Slow Crack Growth Behaviour of High Density Polyethylene Pipe Materials, Plastic Pipes XV, Vancouver, 2010

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The Strain Hardening Test

Fast
Suitable for all PE types ~10
Less material gram

Low interlaboratory scatter

Good correlations with traditional tests

Reproducible

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More information

Harald Ophoff: +31(0)6 2907 0409, Harald.Ophoff@kiwa.nl

Roland Valk: +31(0)6 5123 9363, Roland.Valk@kiwa.nl

Kiwa Technology – material research

Product development
Determination of material quality
Failure analysis
Exit Assessment program

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