Abstract: This paper reviewed modes of slow crack growth (SCG) failure for polyethylene pipes and their evaluation methods, and also analyzed advantages and disadvantages of current evaluation methods for the slow crack growth-resistant performance of the pipes. For problems in the evaluation methods such as a long testing period and low efficiency, main accelerated evaluation methods for charactering the slow crack growth-resistant performance of the pipe was introduced in detail, and finally, the future development direction of this field was prospected.

Key words: polyethylene pipe, failure mode, slow crack growth resistance, acceleration evaluation