Plastic deformation factors controlling

It is known that the concentration of tie chains within lamellae is one of important factors controlling crack initiation. However, it is also important to understand the effect of the environment on the ESCR of materials. Crack initiation and slow crack growth is normally regarded as a semi-brittle or brittle phenomenon. In the case of environmental stress cracking a certain amount of ductile deformation occurs which is governed by the nature of the test media. Plasticization of HDPE due to the diffusion and sorption of IGEPAL is an important component of the ESC mechanism. 

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