High Rate Fracture Behavior of Polycarbonate Films via Supersonic Microprojectile Impact Testing

ORAL

Abstract

The fracture behavior of amorphous polymer glasses is strongly linked to the entanglement density. Traditionally, it is established that polymers exhibiting strain hardening, such as polycarbonate, tend to undergo ductile rather than brittle fracture due to its high entanglement density. In this work, we use Laser-induced Projectile Impact Testing (LIPIT) to study the supersonic fracture behavior of polycarbonate films as a function of entanglement density. We show that the kinetic energy for microparticle penetration through the polymer film is affected by the molecular mass of the polymer or the plasticizer content. We show that this variation in the penetration energy to a change in the mechanism of fracture. Specifically, the fracture mechanism transitions from crazing to shear yielding due to changes in the entanglement density of polycarbonate film.

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Presenters

  • Edwin Chan

    National Institute of Standards and Technology, Materials Science and Engineering Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Authors

  • Edwin Chan

    National Institute of Standards and Technology, Materials Science and Engineering Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology

  • Wanting Xie

    Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts

  • Christopher Soles

    National Institute of Standards and Technology, Materials Science & Engineering Division, NIST, Materials Science and Engineering Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology

  • Jae-Hwang Lee

    University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst