Fracture and toughness of crystalline polymer solids

Abstract

Abstract The development of plastic deformation and crazing in the neighborhood of a notch has been studied in connection with nonlinear fracture processes of crystalline ductile polymers, polyethylene, polypropylene, and propylene‐ethylene block copolymers. After revealing the morphology of plastic deformation around the notch and studying the effects of crystalline structure on ductile fracture processes, the J ‐energy analysis was applied to give a criterion for crack initiation in the fracture of these elastic‐plastic materials. The material resistance to stable and unstable cracking was characterized using the curves of J against crack extension Δα.