Abstract
Fracture energy data are presented for an epoxy-alumina trihydrate composite system in which both the volume fraction and particle size of the dispersion were changed. These data show that the fracture energy of a brittle epoxy composite can be significantly increased by choosing the proper volume fraction and particle size of the dispersed second phase. The results are discussed in terms of several mechanisms which could account for the observed increase in fracture energy. A recently proposed mechanism of crack interaction with a second phase dispersion is qualitatively consistent with these results.
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Lange, F.F., Radford, K.C. Fracture energy of an epoxy composite system. J Mater Sci 6, 1197–1203 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00550091
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00550091