NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF POLYMER CRAZE GROWTH AND FRACTURE

The craze formation and failure typical of many glassy polymers have been investigated using an elastic spring network to model both bulk and crazed polymer material. The elastic properties of the network springs were modified, using simple rules, to capture the hulk polymer to crazed material deformation and the subsequent failure of the craze. The resulting self-consistent evolution of the craze zone and craze failure due to a stress concentration in the craze material at the original crack tip are in basic agreement with experimental observations and with other theoretical predictions of the general features of crazing polymers.