Measuring fracture energy in a brittle polymeric material

K. Arakawa, T. Mada

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    13 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The dynamic fracture behavior of a brittle polymer, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), was studied using single-edge-cracked tensile specimens and the method of caustics in combination with high-speed photography. The dynamic response of the specimen and the state of local stress near the crack tip, i.e., the stress intensity factor K, were measured. To analyze the dynamic response, the external work, Uex, applied to the specimen was partitioned into three components: the elastic energy, Ee; non-elastic energy, En, due to viscoelastic and plastic deformation; and fracture energy, Ef, for creating a new fracture surface, As. The results showed that Ee, En, and Ef increased with Uex, and the ratio Ef/Uex was about 46% over a wide range of Uex. Energy release rates were estimated using Gt = Uex/As and Gf = Ef/As. The mean energy release rate, Gm, during dynamic crack propagation was also determined using the value of K. A good correlation between Gf and Gm was found.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)347-353
    Number of pages7
    JournalExperimental Mechanics
    Volume46
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jun 2006

    All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

    • Aerospace Engineering
    • Mechanics of Materials
    • Mechanical Engineering

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