Abstract
The mechanism of cutting fracture of a polypropylene (PP) is investigated by an experimental approach in which a PP particle accelerated by an axially symmetrical nozzle collides repeatedly with a wedge-shaped target. This experimental approach is useful in comminuting a polymeric material having viscoelastic properties such as those of PP.
The mechanism of impact cutting fracture is examined mainly on the basis of the relation between the increase of specific surface area, the cutting probability, and the cumulative specific kinetic energy of the particle. The increase of specific surface area can be formulated by a power law in terms of the product of the cutting probability and the cumulative specific energy, and the value of its exponent is estimated to be 0.8 within this experimental range.
