The ductile fracture of polycarbonate

The fracture of a known ductile polymer (polycarbonate) is investigated. It is shown that polycarbonate obeys the Dugdale model of ductile yielding by comparing measured plastic-zone sizes and displacements to the theoretical predictions. Strain-energy release rates are calculated and the critical value is shown to be one or two orders of magnitude higher than critical values for brittle polymers. Photoelastic photographs of the fracture process are presented and it is shown that the photoelastic effect definitely enhances the definition of the yield zone. Microscopic photoelastic photographs are also presented which are used to give a new interpretation to the photoplastic effect. Finally, suggestions for future work are presented.