Fracture of Polymers, Composites and Adhesives II

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.

Application of Fracture Mechanics to Polymers, Adhesives and Composites

Dynamic fracture in solids has attracted much attention for over a century from engineers as well as physicists due both to its technological interest and to inherent scientific curiosity. Rapidly applied loads are encountered in a number of technical applications. In some cases such loads might be applied deliberately, as for example in problems of blasting, mining, and comminution or fragmentation; in other cases, such dynamic loads might arise from accidental conditions. Regardless of the origin of the rapid loading, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms and mechanics of fracture under dynamic loading conditions in order to design suitable procedures for assessing the susceptibility to fracture. Quite apart from its repercussions in the area of structural integrity, fundamental scientific curiosity has continued to play a large role in engendering interest in dynamic fracture problems In-depth coverage of the mechanics, experimental methods, practical applications Summary of material response of different materials Discussion of unresolved issues in dynamic fracture