Quasi-static tensile deformation and fracture behavior of a highly particle-filled composite using digital image correlation method

Polymer bonded explosives (PBXs) are highly particle-filled composite materials. This paper experimentally studies the tensile deformation and fracture behavior of a PBX simulation by using the semi-circular bending (SCB) test. The deformation and fracture process of a pre-notched SCB sample with a random speckle pattern is recorded by a charge coupled device camera. The displacement and strain fields on the observed surface during the loading process are obtained by using the digital image correlation method. The crack opening displacement is calculated from the displacement fields, the initiation and propagation of the crack are analyzed. In addition, the damage evolution and fracture mechanisms of the SCB sample are analyzed according to the strain fields and the correlation coefficient fields at different loading steps.