Abstract
We studied the fracture behavior of a glassy polymer, epoxy resin, under the effect of static and impact tensile loading using single-edge-cracked specimens. The static and dynamic loads were determined using a load cell and a piezo sensor, respectively, and the displacement of the specimen was measured using a high-speed extensometer. From the load-displacement diagram, the external work (Uex) applied to the specimen was used to evaluate the elastic energy (Ee) and nonelastic energy (En) due to viscoelastic and plastic deformation, and the fracture energy (Ef) for creating a new fracture surface (As). The energy release rate was then estimated using Gf = Ef/As, and the values of Gf were correlated with the fracture load (Pc). The result indicated that although Gf increased with Pc for both tests, the impact test showed much lower values than the static test.
