Crack growth mechanism in some polyamides

Fracture toughness was measured with single-edge notched three-point bend specimens. The materials used were semicrystalline polymers, polyamide-66, polyamide-1010 and polyamide-610. Their fracture surface was investigated with the help of scanning electron microscopy. The crack growth mechanism is revealed and a model suggested. The stable crack growth feature of the fracture surface is the dimples. The stable crack growth includes: the crack tip blunting, the voids initiating, coalescing and extending, the fibrillated polymer rupturing and contracting, then the formation of dimples on the fracture surface. The unstable crack growth formed a fan cleavage zone. The crack growth passed along the boundaries of spherulitic crystals in which many subcracks have occurred. The mechanism of discontinuous subcrack propagation in ductile polyamide-610 was discovered. In the compressive zone of the bend specimen, the fracture mechanism is similar to the cleavage zone and exhibits shear failure response.