• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.310-318
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• 2006

In this study, we investigate the feasibility of in-situ crack propagation by using a double cleavage drilled compression (DCDC) specimen showing a slow crack velocity down to 0.03 mm/s under 0.01 mm/s of displacement control. Finite element analysis predicted that the DCDC specimens would show at least 4.3 fold delayed crack initiation time than conventional tensile fracture specimens under a constant loading speed. Using DCDC specimens, we were able to observe the in-situ crack propagation process in a particle reinforced transparent polymer composite. Our results confirmed that the DCDC specimen would be a good candidate for the in-situ observation of the behavior of particle reinforced composites with slow crack velocity, such as the self-healing process of micro-particle reinforced composites.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.301-310
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• 2008

Applications of fracture mechanics in the strength analysis of ceramic materials have been lately studied by many researchers. Various test specimens have been proposed in order to investigate the fracture resistance of cracked bodies under mixed mode conditions. Double Cleavage Drilled Compression (DCDC) specimen, with a hole offset from the centerline is a configuration that is frequently used in subcritical crack growth studies of ceramics and glasses. This specimen exhibits a strong crack path stability that is due to the strongly negative T-stress term. In this paper the maximum tensile stress (MTS) criterion is employed for investigating theoretically the initiation of brittle fracture in the DCDC specimen under mixed mode conditions. It is shown that the T-stress has a significant influence on the predicted fracture load and the crack initiation angle. The theoretical results suggest that brittle fracture in the DCDC specimen is controlled by a combination of the singular stresses (characterized by KI and KII) and the non-singular stress term, T-stress.