Infrared measurement of specimen temperature profiles during fatigue crack propagation tests

Abstract
Hysteretic heating of the crack tip often occurs during tests of fatigue crack propagation. If hysteretic heating occurs to a significant extent at and ahead of the crack tip in a notched polymer specimen, fatigue crack propagation behavior may be altered in a complex way. It is, therefore, important to monitor the temperature at crack tips during testing. Methods of temperature measurement are reviewed, and a semiautomated apparatus incorporating an infrared microscope for measuring temperature profiles during fatigue tests is described.