Stable Fracture Test of Chevron Notched Specimen in Bending

Abstract

The crack propagation stability of chevron notched specimens during bending test was discussed on the basis of the dimensionless equilibrium Gibbs free energy diagram of elastic fracture system proposed by Sakai. The free energy diagram was also used for designing a new type of crack stabilizer which provides reliable and stable fracture of brittle ceramics in bending. A pair of elastic rectangular bend-bars were arranged on both sides and parallel to a bend-bar chevron notched SiC specimen as a crack stabilizer. Thus the stable fracture of the specimen was achieved by the simultaneous loading on both the specimen and the stabilizer arranged in this way.