Fracture Mechanics of Polymers

Rowan W. Truss The University of Queensland

Polymer Fracture Mechanics

fracture: creation of new surfaces within a solid compare yield & deformation: maintains continuity Fracture mechanics usually deals with brittle fracture: little plastic deformation before fracture

Energy Approach: Basic concept

Creation of a new surface requires energy (R): surface energy + local deformation/rearrangements etc. n Energy supplied by: stored elastic energy + work done by external forces n Other energy loss terms: kinetic energy, bulk plastic deformation, etc
n

Energy balance
P = load = displacement U = internal energy J or G = strain energy release rate Ek = kinetic energy Ep = plastic deformation energy

P d = dU + J dA + dEp +dEk At fracture J = R

Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics

Elastic energy associated with plastic deformation small n Linear obeys Hookes Law
n
n

Stress Strain

Quasi-static kinetic energy term small

Tearing of Rubbers
Energy balance concepts of Griffith (brittle glasses) extended to tearing of rubbers by Rivlin & Thomas -1952 at crack growth = - dE/dA = energy required to produce unit area of crack, A dE/dA = energy release rate per unit area of crack

Tearing of Rubbers
Ideally rubbers are non-linear elastic little energy dissipation remote from the crack tip Note: analysis is not dependent on linear elastic behaviour

example: pure shear sample

Region A: contains crack - unstressed EA = 0 (strain energy density) Region B: around crack tip complex stress field, EB = ? Region C: in pure shear EC = VC W Region D: near surface, stress state complex ED = ?

W is strain energy density at strain , VC volume of region C

pure shear sample

when crack extends A n Size of Regions B and D remain the same, n Region A expands at expense of Region C i.e. material with strain energy density, W, is converted material with zero strain E = -WVC = -W t l0 a -dE/dA = = 1/2 W l0

and

Development of Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics

n all

materials are imperfect i.e. they contain flaws or small cracks n these cracks can grow to cause brittle fracture n cracks propagate only when specific energy conditions met

LEFM energy balance

n

n n n

linear elastic solid, containing crack of length, a loaded to P, with a load point deflection work done by load is 1/2P stored as elastic strain energy, U

LEFM energy balance

n

Crack grows by da, requires energy R

New surface energy n Localised plastic deformation
n

Energy comes from

Work done by external loads n Release of strain energy
n

LEFM energy balance

define the strain energy release rate,G G = Pd/da dU/da which reduces to G = P2dC/da where C = compliance = /P (Irwin- Kies) 1c

Compliance methods
Obtain G1c from the fracture load and the change in compliance with crack length Rate of change of compliance with crack length n Measured experimentally n Calculated from elasticity theory n Finite elements calculations

alternative approach: Stress analysis

stresses at point near tip of a crack x= {K /r} fx () y= {K /r} fy () z= {K /r} fz ()

Stress intensity factor, K1

n

Stress field around crack tip described by term, K (Stress intensity factor)
n

1 refers to mode 1 opening

Crack grows when stress field reaches some critical dimension, ie at critical K, K1c (fracture toughness)
n

K1c = Y (a)1/2

K1c and G1c

n

K1c and G1c are related through the modulus, E

K1c2 = E* G where E = E , plane stress E = E/(1-2) , plane strain

Plastic Zone
n n n n n n

Crack causes stress concentration High stresses yielding & plastic deformation at crack tip near centre of thick section - high constraint -zone is small at surface no constraint - large zone Measured K depends on size of plastic zone Minimum value of K obtained when specimen so thick that effect of large zone at the edges negligible (so called plane strain conditions)

Zone shape
Assuming von Mises criterion for yield, plastic zone is rounded lobe at crack tip n most polymers form extended zone coplanar with the crack n CRAZE
n

Craze Microstructure
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n n

voids and polymer fibrils across the surfaces (40-60% void) can still support load - not true crack final fracture occurs by tearing mid-rib of craze

Fracture surface - SEM

n

n n

fracture surface shows remnants of high local plasticity local plasticity absorbs energy toughening mechanism

plane strain
Plastic zone size, Rp = 1/2(K1c/y)2 = 1/6 (K1c/y)2 = /8 (K1c/y)2 plane stress plane strain line zone

To ensure plane strain need Rp to be several times smaller than specimen dimensions a, W-a, B > 2.5(K1c/y)2

Strategies to obtain plane strain K1c

n n n n

Increase the sample dimensions (not always possible) decrease the temperature (y increases with decreasing T faster than K1c) increase the pressure (as for decreasing T) apply brittle surface layer or estimate the energy from plane stress region

J testing
Samples loaded to different displacements to give different amounts of crack growth, a n specimens unloaded, broken open, measure a n J computed from area under loaddisplacement curve J = 2 (U-Ui)/B(W-a) where U - energy at given displacement, Ui indentation energy, B, W - specimen thickness and width resp.
n

J testing
n n

Plot J v. a construct blunting line J = COD = 2 y a y is yield stress intersection of blunting line and J- a line taken as Jc

Essential work of fracture

Deep notched samples assumes failure energy partitioned into two: n essential work of fracture, we , thin process zone co-planar with notch, scales as ligament area n plastic energy in yielded zone, scales as ligament area squared

Essential work of fracture

i.e. U = we B(W-2a) + wp (W-2a)2 where is a geometric constant plot of U/ B(W-2a) v. (W-2a) should give straight line with intercept of we and slope of wp