An experimental verification of nonlocal fracture criterion

By using a nonlocal field theory, Eringer et al. [6] obtained a finite solution for the stress at the tip of a sharp crack. This solution permitted the development of a nonlocal fracture criterion for crystalline materials that is given in terms of atomic distance and theoretical cohesive strength.

The nonlocal fracture criterion is generalized for application to real materials by the introduction of a characteristic dimension (a measure of the size of the internal structures). Particleboard, a wood-based composite with controllable internal characteristics (particle dimensions and amount of resin), is used to substantiate the nonlocal fracture criterion.