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P M M A -- - - (4-5) -- (6000-9000)
Polycarbonate -- - - (3-4) -- (9000-10000)
Epoxy - RC-1 -- 4.3? 15 000?
*Data in parentheses represent typical ranges quoted in Modern Plastics Encyclopedia, 1968, and Materials Selector,
1968.
?Quoted values - supplier.
such information might suggest approaches to exhibit Izod impact energies of about 0.04 and
the development of tougher epoxy resins. Several 12 ft lb in. -1 of notch (2.16 and 647 m N m-l),
groups of polymers were selected in order to respectively [6]. While the authors are not aware
assess the relative importance of elastic modulus of KIe values for PC, Watts and Burns [7]
and inelastic energy dissipation in determining reported Kie for P M M A to be 1.45 ksi in. 1/2
fracture toughness (tables I and II). It was (1.59 M N m-3"2), reflecting low toughness. The
assumed, in other words, that plane strain frac- fundamental reason for such differences may be
ture toughness, KIc, is a function of both attributed to the fact that, as shown by damping
modulus, E, and the rate of energy dissipation. curves as a function of temperature, P M M A
Amorphous and crystalline polymers, and one exhibits several discrete narrow mechanical
two-phase polyblend, were included. transition regions, while P C has a rather broad
Polycarbonate (PC) and p o l y m e t h y l meth- and diffuse spectrum [2, 3]. The spectrum of P C
acrylate ( P M M A ) were chosen as a pair of extends well below ambient temperatures and
essentially amorphous polymers which have indicates the existence of an appreciable degree
nearly equal moduli of elasticity, but which vary of main-chain segmental motion at r o o m
significantly with respect to well-established temperature.
fracture energy and damping characteristics The damping behaviour of the epoxy resin
[2-4]. F o r example, the brittle temperatures of E R L 2256 is believed to be similar to that of
P M M A and P C are reported to be + 4 5 ~ C and other epoxy resins which typically exhibit a rela-
- 2 0 0 ~ C, respectively [5, p. 53]. As a further tively low degree of energy absorption [8] and
indication of the relative difference in fracture limited segmental motion, and which resemble,
energy between the two resins, P M M A and P C in this sense, P M M A . Typical values for the
522
FATIGUE CRACK PROPAGATION IN POLYMERIC MATERIALS
Izod impact energy of epoxy resins are l o w - cycle-I (10 300 nm cycle-1) were measured in the
about 0.2 ft Ib in. -1 (10.8 mN m -1) of notch [6]. nylon, polycarbonate, ABS resin, low-density
To elucidate the r61e of elastic modulus, a pair polyethylene and the P M M A polymers. A
of tough polymers was chosen for evaluation: strong correlation was found between the fatigue
nylon 66 and low-density polyethylene (LD PE). crack propagation rate and the stress intensity
Each of the materials chosen exhibits rather factor range prevailing at the advancing
broad and complex relaxation behaviour, but tip (figs. 1-6). Whereas this correlation has been
differ markedly from the other in the magnitude shown in the case of metals [14] it was surprising
of E [9, 10, p. 779]. Thus, nylon 66 (E -- 4 • to note the applicability of this approach in the
105 psi) (2.76 - N m -2) has an Izod impact energy case of these polymers possessing widely varying
value of about 1 to 2 ft lb in. -~ (54 to 108 mN mechanical response with respect to their non-
m -1) of notch, while L D P E (E = 2.5 • 104 psi) linear deformation behaviour.
(1.73 - N m -2) does not break under the condi- The relative behaviour of the different polymer
tions of the Izod test [6]. materials could be correlated generally with
Finally, to evaluate the r61e of a molecularly their damping characteristics. For example,
dispersed elastomeric component in an otherwise nylon 66, which exhibits a rather broad energy
brittle matrix, a high-impact-strength ABS absorption spectrum below room temperature
resin was selected. This resin serves as an and a fairly low glass transition temperature,
example of a common approach to toughening showed the highest resistance to crack propaga-
brittle plastics: the use of graft polymerisation or tion (fig. 6). The existence of loss peaks below
mechanical blending to provide a highly deform- room temperature implies the occurrence of seg-
able second phase dispersed in a rigid matrix mental motions, which may permit localised
[11, p 81; 12, 13]. While polystyrene by itself viscoelastic flow or creep. In addition, the
would be expected to be approximately as brittle mechanical loss per se implies a dissipation of
as P M M A , the ABS resin has an Izod impact energy in the motion itself. Low-density poly-
energy value of about 7 ft lb in. -~ (378 mN m -1) ethylene - also having a broad energy absorption
of notch. It also has a broad mechanical relaxa- spectrum and, in addition, superior toughness
tion spectrum [6, p. 121]. under impact loading- was, on the other hand,
much less resistant to crack propagation,
2.2. Test Procedure
Single-edge-notch, pin-loaded specimens, 3 in. I I
wide (7.6 • 10-2 m), 12 in. long (30.5 • 10-2 m) ,0-4
NYLON, IOcps
and ~ to ~ in. (0.48 to 0.63 • 10-~ m) thick were
o $PEC. NO.
tested in tension-tension loading. The PC fatigue 9 SPEC. NO. Z
o
test conducted at 0.33 c/s was performed in an 5xlO-~=
Instron machine while all other tests, covering a
.-
frequency range of 1 to 10 c/s, were performed e"
o %~
,~
id 4
d
F- 10 "4 LDPE , I cps
rr
"-r
I-- 5x td ~
5xlo 5 ,,o
O
(.9
d
v ~176
r ,5 : 2xlO 5
"1-
I~ 2 xlO-5 t--" I Q
0 9 9
,P o
n-
.o
(0-5
Io5 I I I
5o0 iooo 2ooo 5ooo
rr
/~ K , psiv'qE 0
5xl~ e
Figure 2 Fatigue crack growth characteristics of poly-
carbonate revealing effect of test frequency. .I I I I
200 50O 1000 2000
I I I I
o o; I - 2xlo.e
rr
(..9
10"5 n-
C -
E -r"
0 I---
<~
n- Io.5
O 5 x l O "6 o
tr
t I [ I (.9 oO~~
ZOO 500 IOOO zooo o 9
e
/NK, psi i,/i-ff- 5x$O 6
n- 0
Figure 3 Fatigue crack growth characteristics of A B S O
resin. o.
apparently due to a much lower elastic modulus. 2 x l O "6 I I
2OO 5OO ~)oo
The suspected r61e of damping characteristics
/XK, psi v~'~.
in conferring toughness at a given level of
modulus was confirmed by the results for PC Figure 5 Fatigue crack growth characteristics of P M M A .
524
FATIGUE CRACK PROPAGATION IN POLYMERIC MATERIALS
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to acknowledge the financial
support o f the U S Air Force ( W P A F B ) under
contract #F33615-67C-1559, to t h a n k D r J o h n
Weber for conducting some of the fatigue tests
on the polycarbonate material and M r H o o v e r
for preparing the line drawings. The epoxy resin
E R L 2256 was supplied by W P A F B .
526