Effect of Water Content on Dynamic Fracture Initiation of Vinyl Ester

The effects of water content on the dynamic fracture initiation of notched vinyl ester neat resin samples were examined. The samples were subjected to stress pulses generated by the impact of a projectile launched from an air gun. Two sets of samples of samples were used: the first set was conditioned in an 11 % relative humidity (RH) environment using a saturated salt solution (Lithium Chloride), and the second set was immersed in distilled water. Both sets were kept in their respective environments for 43 days. The dynamic loading conditions were kept constant to analyze the effect of water content on the dynamic fracture initiation of both sample sets. It was observed that the fracture toughness and crack-tip speed showed no significant difference despite a water content differential of 0.49 wt% between the sample sets.