Investigating the Effects of Specimen Thickness and Pressure on the Crack Growth Behavior of a Particulate Composite Material
Abstract
In this study, the effects of specimen thickness and confined pressure on the crack growth behavior in a particulate composite material, containing hard particles embedded in a rubber matrix, were investigated. The experimental data were analyzed and the results are discussed. An important engineering problem in structural design is evaluating structural integrity and reliability. It is well known that structural strength may be degraded during its design life due to mechanical or chemical aging, or a combination of these two aging mechanisms. Depending on the structural design, material type, service loading, and environmental condition, the pause and degree of strength degradation due to the different aging mechanisms differs. One of the common causes of strength degradation is the result of crack development in the structure. When cracks occur, the effects of crack sizes and the rate of growth on the fracture resistance of the material need to be investigated. In recent years, a considerable amount of work has been done studying crack growth behavior in particulate composite materials under different loading conditions at ambient pressure. This work was based on linear fracture mechanics. The principles of classical fracture mechanics are well established for single-phase materials. However, experimental evidence indicates that linear fracture mechanics theories have been applied to particulate composite materials with varying degrees of success. In this study, pre-cracked specimens were used to study crack growth behavior in a particulate composite material, containing hard particles embedded in a rubbery matrix, under a constant straln rate condition at ambient and 8697 Kpa confined pressure. The effects of specimen thickness and pressure on crack growth behavior was investigated and the results are discussed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 22, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA409844
Entities
People
- Chun Ting Liu
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory