Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7169563 | Engineering Fracture Mechanics | 2016 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
Currently, in order to create a sharp pre-crack in a polymeric material for fracture toughness testing, a hand-held razor blade is used. This technique produces cracks of varying angle, length, and crack-front shape. Additionally, there are considerable safety concerns regarding the handling of sharp razor blades. A repeatable, safe method of producing a consistent, sharp pre-crack of a specified length, orientation and crack front is presented here, by use of a simple custom fixture. The specimen preparation procedure has wide applicability for fracture analysis of many brittle materials.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Authors
Nithiananthan Kuppusamy, Rachel A. Tomlinson,