Effects of material properties on the fragmentation of brittle materials

We present a fundamental investigation of the influence of material and structural parameters on the mechanics of fragmentation of brittle materials. First, we conduct a theoretical analysis (similar to Drugan’s single wave problem, Drugan, W.J. (2001), Journal of Mechanical and Physics Solids49, 1181–1208.) and obtain closed form solutions for a problem coupling stress wave propagation and single cohesive crack growth. Expressions for a characteristic fragment size s0 and a characteristic strain-rate $${\dot\varepsilon}_0$$ are given. Next, we use a numerical approach to analyze a realistic fragmentation process that involves multiple crack interactions. The average fragment size s is calculated for a wide variety of strain-rates $${\dot \varepsilon}$$ and a broad range of material parameters. Finally, we derive an empirical function that relates the normalized fragment size s/s0 to the normalized strain-rate $${\dot \varepsilon}/\dot{\varepsilon}_0$$ and that fits all of the numerical results with a single master curve.

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