Sandwiched-Beam Procedure for Precracking Brittle Materials |
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Authors: | Vincenzo M. Sglavo Paolo Bosetti Elena Trentini Michele Ceschini |
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Affiliation: | Dipartimento di Ingegneria dei Materiali, Universitádi Trento, I–38050 Trento, Italy |
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Abstract: | A technique for precracking brittle materials is presented. This procedure, which is called the sandwiched-beam (SB) technique, allows the production of sharp through-thickness cracks with predetermined length in specimens with a rectangular section. A bar, in which an initial notch is produced by using a conventional saw, is inserted between two supporting beams and the sandwich assembly is loaded in three-point bending. Conditions can be defined that allow the stable propagation of a sharp flaw from the notch as the applied load is increased. Then, the cracked bar can be used to determine the fracture toughness. The SB technique is applied to different brittle materials, including soda-lime-silica glass, alumina, Si3N4, a SiC w -Si3N4 composite, graphite, a Ti-Al intermetallic, and Carrara marble. |
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