This book contains a selection of fully peer-reviewed papers which were presented at the 2nd ESIS TC4 Conference, held in Les Diablerets, Switzerland 13 - 15 September 1999. The meeting was designed to reflect the activities of the Committee over the last 15 years, and to plan future activities. The papers have been divided into four chapters under the headings of Composites, Elastic-Plastic Fracture, Adhesion, and Impact and General Fracture. These are convenient groupings, but there are many interactions between the areas, with the common theme of Fracture Mechanics underlying it all.

Fracture of Polymers, Composites and Adhesives II

This book is an overview of ESIS Technical Committee 4's activities since the mid-1980s. A wide range of tests is described and the numerous authors is a reflection of the wide and enthusiastic support we have had. With the establishment of the Technical Committee 4, two major areas were identified as appropriate for the activity. Firstly there was an urgent need for standard, fracture mechanics based, test methods to be designed for polymers and composites. A good deal of academic work had been done, but the usefulness to industry was limited by the lack of agreed standards. Secondly there was a perceived need to explore the use of such data in the design of plastic parts. Some modest efforts were made in early meetings to explore this, but little progress was made. In contrast things moved along briskly in the standards work and this has dominated the activity for the last fourteen years. The design issue remains a future goal.

Application of Fracture Mechanics to Polymers, Adhesives and Composites

Over recent years there has been a tremendous upsurge in interest in the fracture behaviour of polymers. One reason for this is the increas ing use of polymers in structural engineering applications, since in such circumstances it is essential to have as complete an understanding as possible of the polymer's fracture behaviour. This book is designed to meet the requirements of those who need to be informed of the latest developments in the field of polymer fracture. It is written particularly for research workers but it should also prove invaluable for advanced students taking final-year undergraduate or postgraduate courses. The main emphasis is upon the use of fracture mechanics in the study of polymer fracture but this approach is then developed to cover the micromechanisms of the fracture process. Particular prominence is given to the relationship between structure, mechanical properties and the mechanics and mechanisms of fracture. The first chapter is a brief introduction which has several aims. One is to introduce polymers to the reader who does not have a strong background in the subject and another is to provide background material that will be used at later stages. The book is then split into two main parts: the first deals with the mechanics and mechanisms whilst the second is concerned with materials. In Part I phenomena such as molecular fracture, fracture mechanics, shear yielding and crazing are covered from a general viewpoint.

This book presents a unified approach to fracture behavior of natural and synthetic fiber-reinforced polymer composites on the basis of fiber orientation, the addition of fillers, characterization, properties and applications. In addition, the book contains an extensive survey of recent improvements in the research and development of fracture analysis of FRP composites that are used to make higher fracture toughness composites in various applications.The FRP composites are an emerging area in polymer science with many structural applications. The rise in materials failure by fracture has forced scientists and researchers to develop new higher strength materials for obtaining higher fracture toughness. Therefore, further knowledge and insight into the different modes of fracture behavior of FRP composites are critical to expanding the range of their application.