Impact testing of high-density polyethylene structure

Abstract

High strain-rate testing of high-density polyethylene is the focus of the present work. This testing is accomplished by two types of experimental testing: uniaxial tensile testing using standard testing technique, and impact testing of a 3D structure with non-trivial geometry. Both the uniaxial tests and the impact tests were evaluated using a material model suited for rate-dependent inelasticity of polymers that has been developed. In the uniaxial tensile tests, a maximum strain-rate of about 28/s was attained. In the impact tests, strain-rates of the order of 100/s and beyond were predicted in the analyses. The impact tests were simulated and analysed by use of finite element simulations. Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian (CEL) analyses were employed for some of the tests where there was an interaction between the compressed structure and air trapped inside it. Overall, the simulations were able to reproduce the outcome from the experiments well. In particular, the deformation scenarios in the impact tests for different loading situations could be reproduced.