The influence of hydrostatic pressure on the tensile deformation and fracture of copper

An investigation has been made into the effects of hydrostatic pressures up to 600 MPa on the tensile deformation and fracture mechanisms of commercial copper. Fracture occurred by the normal tensile fracture mechanism involving void coalescence followed by shear tearing at pressures up to 300 MPa. At pressures in excess of 300 MPa fracture occurred entirely by a mechanism involving highly localized bands of intense shear deformation. This mechanism resulted in fracture at a chisel-point so that the natural strain to fracture at these pressures approached infinity.