Lifetime Assessment of Load-Bearing Polymer Glasses: An Analytical Framework for Ductile Failure

✍ Scribed by Hendrikus A. Visser; Ton C. Bor; Mannes Wolters; Tom A. P. Engels; Leon E. Govaert

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 537 KB
• Volume: 295
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1438-7492
• DOI: 10.1002/mame.200900369

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The most widespread application of polymers in structural applications is their use as pipe material for e.g., gas distribution systems. Pipes have a design lifetime of typically 50 years, which rules out real‐time lifetime assessment methods. Here, an engineering approach is presented, which makes it possible to predict long‐term ductile failure of loaded glassy polymers based on short‐term tests. The approach is based upon the hypothesis that failure is governed by accumulation of plastic deformation up to a critical strain. A pressure‐modified Eyring relation is employed to calculate the accumulation of plastic strain for any simple loading geometry. It is demonstrated that the approach can produce accurate quantitative time‐to‐failure predictions for loaded PC specimens and uPVC pipe segments.

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