Fracture of Sapphire

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Abstract
The fracture of sapphire was studied using the double‐canti‐lever‐cleavage technique. Fracture surface energies were 7.3 and 6.0 J/m2 for the (100) and (012) type planes, respectively. Attempts to measure the fracture surface energy on the (0001) plane were unsuccessful. The failure of sapphire to fracture along the basal plane was attributed to the fact that these planes lack electrostatic charge neutrality. The possibility of fracture‐induced dislocation motion in sapphire at room temperature was investigated using etch‐pit techniques, but no evidence for dislocation motion could be found. Fracture behavior on (012) planes was erratic, varying from boule to boule. The topology of surfaces formed by crack propagation along this plane is described, but no explanation for the erratic behavior or the observed fracture features is given.

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