Fracture of polymers
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| Fracture in polymers | |
The fracture is defined as a partial disintegration of the material by stress due to the formation of a new surface inside a body. The fracture is synonymous with rupture or the action of breaking but not failure. As in the case of metals, the fracture in the polymers can be brittle, ductile or intermediate between brittle and ductile. For the fracture to occur, it is usually necessary for a sample to be subjected to mechanical loads, to deform (viscoelastically), and for the development of some damage to lead to the disintegration of the material. Fragile Fracture Thermoset polymers generally show a brittle type fracture. Thermoplastic polymers exhibit fragile rupture when it occurs at temperatures below the glass transition temperature. Ductile Fracture Thermoplastic polymers exhibit ductile deformation when it occurs at temperatures higher than the glass transition temperature. The deformation rate affects the type of fracture of the thermoplastic materials, favoring the ductile at low deformation speeds and the brittle at high speeds. |  |