Curves on the Fracture Surfaces of Brittle Amorphous Materials

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
An equation has been derived describing possible shapes of the fracture curves which appear if two fracture fronts meet on the fracture surfaces of brittle amorphous materials. The characteristic forms of the curves are compared with the observed ones. The equation includes the following parameters: the centers distance of the primary and secondary fractures, the ratio of the spreading velocities of the fracture fronts originating in these centers, and the so-called activation distance, i.e. the distance of the primary fracture front from the center of the secondary front at a moment when the secondary fracture is activated. The fracture curves are divided into four groups according to the possible activation distance values. The shapes of the fracture curves described so far in the literature are shown to be special cases of the equation. The qualitative agreement between the theoretical and experimental fracture curves justifies the assumptions introduced while deriving the theoretical form. The determination of the parameter values can give new information on the fracture mechanism.