Temperature effects on quasi-static fracture of PMMA

The effect of temperature on the quasi-static fracture behaviour of PMMA is examined. It is found that the critical stress intensity factor, K ₁₀, at crack growth initiation decreases with temperature up to a certain critical temperature, T _c. Above T _c, K ₁₀ increases rapidly. The speeds with which slow crack growth could be maintained without transition to brittle fracture were found to be significantly higher at high temperatures.