Environmental stress cracking (ESC) is the premature initiation of cracking and embrittlement of a plastic due to the simultaneous action of stress and strain and contact with specific fluids, often present in a gaseous state. This definition provides the key to the problem of predictability: Failure is due to a combination of influences, which would not cause the same problems if encountered individually.

Environmental Stress Cracking of Plastics aims to explain both the causes of ESC and its implications. It reviews the factors that influence ESC (including a discussion of the thermodynamics of mixing and Hansen solubility parameters), and presents a large amount of information regarding specific categories of plastics. Methods for the experimental evaluation — including prediction and assessment by testing — of environmental stress cracking are also described.

Target Audience: Designers, process and quality engineers and technologists, reliability engineers, and any other reader concerned with environmental stress cracking of plastic materials.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

Prediction of ESC and Assessment by Testing

Factors that Influence ESC

Data on Specific Plastics

Index