SIMULATION OF LARGE-STRAIN PLASTIC-DEFORMATION AND TEXTURE EVOLUTION IN HIGH-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE

A micromechanically based composite model which we have recently proposed is employed to study large plastic deformation and texture evolution in initially isotropic high density polyethylene (HDPE) under different modes of straining. Attention is focused on the macroscopic stress-strain response and the evolution of crystallographic, morphological and macromolecular textures in HDPE subject to uniaxial tension and compression, simple shear and plane strain compression. Comparison of the predicted results with experimental observations (e.g. stress-strain measurements, wide-angle X-ray scattering and small-angle X-ray scattering studies of deformed material) shows excellent agreement in nearly all respects.