简介：Crackopeningdisplacement(COD)wasappliedtocharacterizethefractureinitiationofthetoughhighdensitypolyethylene.Normalsinglesidenotchedthree-pointbendspecimensandsilicarubberreplicatechniqueswereusedtostudythecharacteristicCODofhigh-densitypolyethylenepipeanditsbutt-fusionjointsincludingtheweldfusionzoneandheataffectedzoneatdifferenttemperaturefrom-78℃to20℃.TestingresultsshowthatthecharacteristicCODappearstodependonthestructuralfeaturesthataredeterminedbyweldingprocessandthetestingtemperature.Asthetemperatureislowered,thecharacteristicCODofallzonesstudieddecreases.Becausetheweldingprocesssignificantlychangessomestructuralfeatureofthematerial,characteristicCODoftheweldfusionzoneisthesmallestoneamongthoseofthethreezones.TheresultscanbeusedfortheengineeringdesignandfailureanalysisofHDPEpipe.