SHORT ABSTRACT
In order to create added value of plastics in terms of improved circular economy, an increasing use of recycled polymers becomes more and more important.
For many long-term applications, such as profiles or pipes in the industry segment of building and construction, the resistance against crack initiation and slow crack growth (SCG) is a crucial material property as it is directly linked to the structural lifetime.
This webinar is dedicated to give an overview about the cyclic cracked round bar (CRB) test, which is an accelerated test method for a quick characterization of the SCG resistance in thermoplastic materials. In this context, the SCG resistance of different virgin and recycled polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and unplasticized polyvinylchloride (PVC‑U) grades which are typically used for injection moulding, blow moulding and extrusion will be presented.
Moreover, systematically investigations of PE mixed with increasing amounts of PP, virgin PP blended with recycled PP, and repeated reprocessing of PVC‑U will be discussed in order to demonstrate the impact of such blends on the long-term failure resistance.
SHORT AUTHOR BIO:
Andreas Frank holds a Master and a PhD in Polymer Engineering and Science from the Montanuniversitaet Leoben.
In 2007 he joined the Polymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH (PCCL), Austria, as a researcher and project manager for material science and testing of plastics, fracture mechanics, failure analysis and lifetime prediction of polymeric structures.
After finalizing his PhD about fracture mechanical lifetime prediction of polyethylene pressure pipes in 2010, he set up and developed an own research group for “Polymer Pipes” which became globally recognized.
Since 2017, he is Division Manager for “Polymers and Composites for Structural Applications”.
In his professional subject, Andreas has more than 80 publications and presentations on international level.
Since 2013, he is active in national and international standardization committees at ASI, ISO and CEN.
He is also co-chair in the Special Interest Group “Plastic Pipes & Fittings” at the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) as well as founding member of the SPE Austria Regional Interest Group.
In 2020 he became chairman of the working group “Product Certification Hydrogen” of the Austrian Association for Gas and Water (ÖVGW).
His recent research activities are dedicated to support the European Green Deal, such as the EU Hydrogen Strategy, by developing new standards for plastic products in gas networks for the transport and storage of hydrogen, or the EU Plastics Strategy and Circular Economy, by improving the quality and increasing the amount of recycled plastics in newly manufactured products.