IMPACT FRACTURE-TOUGHNESS TESTS ON POLYMERS

A series of impact tests are described in which the plane strain fracture toughness, Kc1, of five different polymers is measured using a three point bend specimen at striker speeds up to 5m/s. At low speeds Kc1 is determined using the maximum load and a static analysis, but at speeds greater than 1 m/s the dynamic effects render the load signal unusable. For the higher speeds the fracture is timed using contact and crack propagation gages and the analysis is performed using the striker displacement at fracture. A dynamic analysis is used to convert this measurement to the true specimen displacement and Kc1 is determined from this. The apparent downward trends in the Kc1 results obtained, especially at speeds above 3m/s, are discussed. Copyright © 1990 Society of Plastics Engineers