Influence of Environment on Brittle Fracture of Silica

Abstract

The fracture strength of fused silica rods was determined in vacuum and in the saturated vapors of water, ethyl alcohol, n ‐butyl alcohol, n ‐propyl alcohol, acetone, ethyl acetate, undried benzene with “less than 0.02% water,” and dried benzene. The relation between the lowering of the fracture strength of the fused silica caused by the vapor and the corresponding decrease in surface free energy of quartz was found to be consistent with the Griffith theory of brittle fracture.