Experimental testing of the sorption-mechanical coupled behaviour of polyethylene into pressurized hydrogen

Institut P’ – Département de Physique et Mécanique des Matériaux Ensma, 1 Avenue Clément Ader, BP 40109, 86961 Futuroscope cedex, France

^a e-mail : sylvie.castagnet@ensma.fr or sylvie.castagnet@cnrs.pprime.fr

Abstract

Coupling between pressurized gas sorption and tensile behavior was studied in a polyethylene (PE). Tensile and creep tests into hydrogen (30 bars) and nitrogen (30 bars) atmosphere were compared to experiments into atmospheric air. Gaseous environment was shown to have noticeable influence neither on the modulus / yield stress in tension, nor on the long term creep behavior. Mechanical consequence of a long term aging into hydrogen atmosphere was also investigated in samples previously exposed to hydrogen at various aging conditions (temperature, pressure, duration). No deleterious effect on the tensile properties of PE was evidenced.