TEMPERATURE PARAMETER EFFECT ON THE FRACTURE BEHAVIOUR OF THE POLYMER MATERIAL: CASE OF HDPE

In this study, the finite element method is used to analyze the effect of a geometric discontinuity on the fracture behaviour of polymer material (High-Density-Polyethylene; HDPE). The effect of the temperature parameter on the distribution of stresses and strains at the notch (geometric discontinuity) has been studied. The results obtained numerically show a good correlation with experimental results. The Rice-Tracey (RT) model is used to reproduce the macroscopic mechanical behavior of the HDPE material in terms of stress versus strain for different temperature level