APS March Meeting 2022
Volume 67, Number 3
Monday–Friday, March 14–18, 2022;
Chicago
Session G00: Poster Session I (2pm- 5pm CST)
2:00 PM,
Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Room: McCormick Place Exhibit Hall F1
Abstract: G00.00012 : Effect of Interfacial Defects on Deflection-Penetration Criteria within PMMA Composites
Abstract
Presenter:
Suraj M Reddy
(University of Delaware)
Authors:
Suraj M Reddy
(University of Delaware)
Zubaer Hossain
(University of Delaware)
Looking into the microscale of composites, there is still much more we must understand on what exactly governs the toughness of composite materials. It is important to understand that different regions and properties in composites can influence fracture toughness and how a crack forms. In particular, crack deflection is a mechanism in which a propagating crack tip follows a near parallel line about the interface before penetration of the interface. The criteria for the deflection mechanism to occur play a major role in governing the fracture toughness of a composite material. On the other hand, crack penetration is a critical failure that can cause the crack to completely break through the interfacial region, which will cause a critical failure of the composite material. The relation between deflection and penetration is key to understanding toughness; as the longer a crack experiences deflection, the longer it takes for the crack to penetrate. At the microscale of a composite, the interface will be imperfect, meaning that defects will be very common within the interfacial region. Since it is near impossible to control these defects at the manufacturing phase, we must understand how these defects influence composite toughness. For our choice of composite, we have chosen a Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) composite, which is a synthetic resin that is strong and lightweight. In this work, we have investigated the effect of defect density on the criteria for the penetration of a deflecting crack in a Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) composite, which has yielded useful information that is applicable to the engineering and manufacturing world. After the study was completed, we have concluded that defect density plays an important role in changing the criteria for the crack deflection mechanism.