ASM Failure Analysis Case Histories: Chemical Processing Equipment
Cracking of a Polyethylene Chemical Storage Vessel
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Published:2019
Abstract
A chemical storage vessel failed while in service. The failure occurred as cracking through the vessel wall, resulting in leakage of the fluid. The tank had been molded from a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) resin. The material held within the vessel was an aromatic hydrocarbon-based solvent. Investigation (visual inspection, stereomicroscopic examination, 20x/100x SEM images, micro-FTIR in the ATR mode, and analysis using DSC and TGA) supported the conclusion that the chemical storage vessel failed via a creep mechanism associated with the exertion of relatively low stresses. The source of the stress was thought to be molded-in residual stresses associated with...
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Member Sign InCracking of a Polyethylene Chemical Storage Vessel, ASM Failure Analysis Case Histories: Chemical Processing Equipment, ASM International, 2019, https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.fach.chem.c0090454
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