Effects of gamma ray and sub-cracks on ethanol-assisted crack healing in poly(methyl methacrylate)

The effects of gamma ray and sub-cracks on ethanol-assisted crack healing in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were investigated. The transport of ethanol in the gamma-irradiated PMMA was analyzed, using the Harmon model. Both the cracked-gamma-irradiated PMMA and the cracked PMMA with sub-cracks were ethanol-treated at a temperature above the effective glass transition point of the corresponding bulk PMMA. The crack closure rate, which followed the modified Arrhenius equation, increased with increasing gamma ray dose at a given temperature. The fracture strength of the healed PMMA increased with increasing gamma ray dose for short healing time at a given healing temperature, while long healing time led to the decrease of the fracture strength of the healed PMMA with increasing gamma ray dose. The fracture strength of the healed PMMA increased with increasing number of sub-cracks. These results provide the potential to develop self-healing polymeric materials in which structural damage can activate an autonomous healing process without any external stimuli.