Numerical study of fracture plane control in laboratory-scale blasting

Crack branching in Homalite-100 sheets of 1/8-in. and 3/8-in. thickness was studied by dynamic photoelasticity. Dynamic stress intensity factors, crack velocities and branching angles were measured and corresponding static stress intensity factors were determined by the method of finite element analysis. Dynamic stress intensity factors which preceded the actual branching reached a peak value of approximately three times the fracture toughness. The dynamic stress intensity factor drops prior to branching and then increases again to the maximum stress intensity factor at which point branching could occur again. Roughness of the fracture surface can be related to large dynamic stress intensity factors and crack velocities prior to branching and also after branching. Average branching angle was 26 deg. The results of this series of tests thus suggest that large dynamic stress intensity factors are necessary but not sufficient to cause crack branching.

Crack Branching In Homalite-100 Sheets

Crack branching in Homalite-100 sheets

A study of the behaviour of cracked composite specimens under dynamic tensile load was undertaken. The crack propagation in the two-phase epoxy resin specimens was studied by the method of high speed photography along with the optical method of caustics.

Dynamic crack propagation in composites

During the fabrication of nanopost arrays for measuring cellular forces, we have observed surface cracks in the negative molds used to replicate the arrays from a silicon master. These cracks become more numerous and severe with each replication such that repeated castings lead to arrays with missing or broken posts. This loss in pattern fidelity from the silicon master undermines the spatial resolution of the nanopost arrays in measuring cellular forces. We hypothesized that these cracks are formed because of a mismatch in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and its oxidized surface layer. To study the fracture of PDMS due to thermal effects, we treated circular test samples of PDMS with oxidizing plasma and then heated them to cause surface cracks. These cracks were found to be more abundant at 180 °C than at lower temperatures. Finite element analysis of a bilayer material with a CTE mismatch was used to validate that thermal stresses are sufficient to overcome the fracture toughness of oxidized PDMS. As a consequence, we have ascertained that elevated temperatures are a significant detriment to the reproducibility of nanoscale features in PDMS during replica molding.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0960-1317/21/5/054013/pdf

Thermal fracture of oxidized polydimethylsiloxane during soft lithography of nanopost arrays

Dynamic photoelasticity employing a 16-spark gap Cranz-Schardin camera system was used to determine certain conditions leading to fracture arrest by a circular hole ahead of a propagating crack. Photoelastic models of 3/8×10×10-in. Homalite-100 plates with a 1/2-in. edge crack were loaded in a fixed-grip configuration and crack arrest was made possible by central holes of 1/2, 1/4, and 0.15-in. diameters. In one test of a uniformly loaded plate with a central hole of 0.15-in. diameter, the propagating crack continued through this hole. Changes in dynamic-stress-intensity factors, as the crack tip approaches the hole, as well as changes in the dynamic-stress-concentration factors at the far side of the hole were studied, and these results were compared with the corresponding static results determined by finite-element analysis. This comparison shows that the static analysis can be used to qualitatively assess the arrest capability of the hole using the maximum static-stress concept or the proposed concept of strain energy released as the crack penetrates the hole.

B. G. Wade

Papers

Photoelastic investigation on the crack-arrest capability of a hole