Predictive Mechanistic Model of Creep Response of Single-Layered Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive (PSA) Joints

This paper explores the uniaxial tensile creep response of acrylic-based pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA), which exhibits a unique multi-phase creep response that does not have the classical steady-state region due to multiple transitions caused by several competing mechanisms: (i) cavity nucleation and growth in the interior of the adhesive material of the PSA system, as well as at the interfaces between the PSA and the substrate; (ii) fibrillation of the bulk adhesive, and (iii) interfacial mechanical locking between the adhesive and the bonding substrate. This results in multiple regimes of strain hardening and strain softening, evidenced by multiple regions of steady-state creep, separated by strong transitions in the creep rates. This complex, multi-phase, nonlinear creep response cannot be described by conventional creep constitutive models commonly used for polymers in commercial finite element codes. Accordingly, based on the empirical uniaxial tensile creep response and the mechanisms behind it, a new mechanistic model was proposed. This is capable of quantitatively capturing the characteristic features of the multiphase creep response of single-layered PSA joints as a function of viscoelastic bulk properties and free energy of the PSA material, substrate surface roughness, and interfacial surface energy between the adhesive and substrate. This is the first paper to present the modeling approach for capturing unique multi-phase creep behavior of PSA joint under tensile loading.

Tensile Creep Behavior of HPC at Early Ages under Different Curing Temperatures

This paper presents an experimental investigation on tensile basic creep behavior of HPC at early ages by using a uniaxial tensile creep testing apparatus. Concrete specimens of 100×100×400mm with compressive strength class 60MPa was used, sealed and loaded at different curing temperature. The effects of the curing temperature and the age at loading on creep behavior are discussed. The results show that tensile specific creep and creep rate of HPC at early ages were governed by the age at loading. The specific creep, creep coefficient and creep rate were larger at earlier loading ages, and decreased exponentially with age at loading. The tensile specific creep decreased with curing temperature, but the difference in creep due to different curing temperatures decreased with the age at loading, and could be ignored while concrete specimen being loaded after the age of 7 days.

Viscoelastic Finite Element Modeling of Bimodal High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Piping Materials for Nuclear Safety-Related Applications

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) has recently approved Relief Requests for the use of high density polyethylene (HDPE) piping in safety-related applications. The ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, meanwhile, has developed Code Case N-755 that defines the design and service life requirements for PE piping in nuclear plants though it has not as yet been approved by the USNRC. One of the issues of concern is premature failure of PE piping due to slow crack growth (SCG) that can initiate due to a combination of sustained loads, elevated temperatures, and a pre-existing defect. Understanding and predicting the SCG behavior is an essential step in developing a methodology for predicting the service life of PE piping. The first step in studying the failure process in a polymer under a constant sustained load is the selection of a suitable constitutive model to represent the time-dependent behavior of the material. In this paper, uniaxial tensile creep tests were performed for a bimodal HDPE (PE4710) piping material. This creep data was used to determine the viscoelastic material constants for this bimodal HDPE using a power-law creep model. These material constants were used in finite element (FE) analyses to study the viscoelastic behavior of the bimodal HDPE. As a first step, the FE model was verified by comparing the results from numerical simulations and experiments for a set of uniaxial tensile creep tests. The FE model was then applied to study the viscoelastic behavior of a SCG specimen. The time dependent stress and strain fields were investigated.