Damage Investigation in PMMA Polymer: Experimental and Phase-Field Approaches

Area of Science:

• Fracture Mechanics
• Materials Science
• Computational Mechanics

Background:

• Predicting crack patterns is crucial for material damage prevention, especially in polymers like PMMA.
• Limited experimental data exists for PMMA, highlighting the need for studies on phase-field approach accuracy.
• The brittle behavior of PMMA necessitates advanced numerical methods for accurate fracture prediction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To verify the accuracy of a phase-field approach with a staggered scheme, based on spectral decomposition, for predicting crack propagation in PMMA.
• To compare numerical predictions with experimental results obtained from tensile tests and SEM analysis.
• To establish a dataset for validating numerical advancements in fracture mechanics.

Main Methods:

• Experimental determination of PMMA material properties.
• Tensile testing and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis to characterize material behavior and fracture.
• Development of a numerical model using a phase-field approach with a staggered scheme and spectral decomposition.

Main Results:

• PMMA exhibits brittle behavior under tensile load, confirmed by experimental tests and SEM analysis.
• The phase-field numerical approach, treating cracks as diffuse damage, shows potential for accurate crack trajectory prediction.
• Experimental data provides a basis for validating the numerical model's predictive capabilities.

Conclusions:

• The phase-field approach with a staggered, spectral decomposition scheme demonstrates accuracy in predicting crack propagation in PMMA.
• The study provides valuable experimental data for further validation and refinement of computational fracture mechanics models.
• This research contributes to preventing material damage by improving the prediction of fracture behavior in polymers.