FRACTURE-TOUGHNESS OF PC/PBT BLEND-BASED ON J-INTEGRAL METHODS

Abstract

The fracture toughness of a polycarbonate/poly(butylene terephthalate) (PC/PBT) blend was determined using three different J-integral methods, ASTM E813-81, E813-87, and hysteresis energy. The critical J values (J(1c)) obtained are largely independent of the cross-head speed (range from 0.5 to 50 mm/min). ASTM E813-81 and hysteresis energy methods result in comparable J(1c) values, while the E813-87 method estimates J(1c) to be 60-80% higher. The critical displacement determined from the plots of hysteresis (energy and ratio) and the true crack growth length vs. displacement is very close. This indicates that the critical displacement determined by the hysteresis energy method is indeed the displacement at the onset of crack initiation and the corresponding J(1c) represents a physical event of crack initiation. (C) 1995 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.