The performance and causes of failure of polyethylene pipes subjected to constant and fluctuating internal pressure loadings

Three different pipe-grade polyethylenes, in the form of one large and three small diameter pipe systems, have been tested at elevated temperatures, using constant and fluctuating internal pressure loadings that resulted in brittle fractures. The behaviour under fatigue of two of the three types of small diameter polyethylene pipes was substantially described by a cumulative damage model, whilst the third exhibited a fatigue weakness, an observation not previously reported. The performance of the large diameter pipes under fatigue was dominated by the presence of large voids in the pipe wall that arose from incorrect processing and resulted in premature failure. The sites of crack initiation in one material grade of the small diameter systems were examined in detail. In particular the size, position and composition of particles initiating fracture were determined. The maximum particle size on the fracture surface of the pipe was found to correlate reasonably well with a measure of pipe lifetime, as predicted by a fracture mechanics approach, and indicated that the lifetime of this one type of polyethylene pipe was dependent on the size of the inclusions initiating fracture.