In-situ crack propagation observation of a particle reinforced polymer composite using the double cleavage drilled compression specimens

In this study, we investigate the feasibility of in-situ crack propagation by using a double cleavage drilled compression (DCDC) specimen showing a slow crack velocity down to 0.03 mm/s under 0.01 mm/s of displacement control. Finite element analysis predicted that the DCDC specimens would show at least 4.3 fold delayed crack initiation time than conventional tensile fracture specimens under a constant loading speed. Using DCDC specimens, we were able to observe the in-situ crack propagation process in a particle reinforced transparent polymer composite. Our results confirmed that the DCDC specimen would be a good candidate for the in-situ observation of the behavior of particle reinforced composites with slow crack velocity, such as the self-healing process of micro-particle reinforced composites.