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A single leg bending test for interfacial fracture toughness determination

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Abstract

A single leg bending test is described and its suitability for interfacial fracture toughness testing is evaluated. The test specimen consists of a beam-type geometry comprised of two materials, one ‘top’ and one ‘bottom’, with a split at one end along the bimaterial interface. A portion of the bottom material in the cracked section of the beam is removed and the geometry is loaded in three-point bending. Thus, the reaction force of the support at the cracked end is transmitted only into the material comprising the top portion of the beam. The test is analyzed by a crack tip element analysis and the resulting expressions for energy release rate and mode mixity are verified by comparison with finite element results. It is shown that, by varying the thicknesses of the two materials, the single leg bending test can be used to determine the fracture toughness of most bimaterial interfaces over a reasonably wide range of mode mixities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Manufacturing Engineering, Syracuse University, 13244, Syracuse, New York, USA

    B. D. Davidson & V. Sundararaman

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  1. B. D. Davidson
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  2. V. Sundararaman
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Davidson, B.D., Sundararaman, V. A single leg bending test for interfacial fracture toughness determination. Int J Fract 78, 193–210 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00034525

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00034525

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