Effect of processing on uniaxial creep behavior and environmental stress-crack resistance of a linear low-density polyethylene

This paper describes characterizations performed on two types of polyethylene T‐Joints as well as the starting resin from which they were manufactured. It was found that the melt flow rate of material taken from the two types of joints differed from that of the starting resin and differed from each other by as much as a factor of two. Investigation of the environmental stress‐crack resistance (ESCR) and uniaxial creep behavior of material from the two joints revealed further significant differences in behavior between the two joints. These observations lead to the conclusion that subtle differences in the processing conditions can result in significant differences in the long‐term mechanical behavior.