The effects of acid treatment, vapor grown carbon fiber (VGCF) interlayer and the angle, i.e., 0° and 90°, between the rolling stripes of an aluminum (Al) plate and the fiber direction of glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) on the mode II interlaminar mechanical properties of GFRP/Al laminates were investigated. The experimental results of an end notched flexure test demonstrate that the aci...

The application of peel tests for the measurement of adhesive fracture toughness of metal-polymer laminates is reviewed and the merits of a mandrel peel method are highlighted. The mandrel method enables a direct experimental determination of both adhesive fracture toughness (GA) and the plastic bending energy (GP) during peel, whilst other approaches require a complex calculation for GP. In th...

An engineering fracture mechanics approach was applied to the analysis of the fracture resistance of equine hoof-wall. The relationship between fracture toughness and the morphological organization of the keratin hoof tissue was investigated. Fracture toughness was evaluated using the J-integral analysis method which employs the compact tension test geometry. Tensile tests were also conducted t...

The ability of bone to resist catastrophic failure is critically dependent upon the material properties of bone matrix, a composite of hydroxyapatite, collagen type I, and noncollagenous proteins. These properties include elastic modulus, hardness, and fracture toughness. Like other aspects of bone quality, matrix material properties are biologically-defined and can be disrupted in skeletal dis...

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disease of collagen or collagen-related proteins that adversely impacts bone mass and fracture resistance. Little is known regarding the role that microdamage plays in OI and whether or not OI bone is more prone to damage accumulation than bone with unaffected collagen. The Brtl/+ mouse is a heterozygous model for OI which contains a Gly349Cys substitut...

Studies of bone have determined multiple toughening mechanisms slowing the propagation of a crack. These toughening mechanisms contribute to the fracture toughness of bone in life, making their activities of clinical interest. The primary standard methods for measuring bone fracture toughness use a single-notched compact type specimen (CT) or single-notched bending specimens in four-point (SN4P...

An equation was developed from studies of single-pass wear and fracture toughness of filled and unfilled dental restorative resins and dental amalgams relating the sliding frictional force F to the normal load N, fracture toughness, modulus of elasticity, yield strength and slider diameter. This equation was of the same form as that reported for viscoelastic materials (F = KW). Friction was cau...

In this study, fracture toughness of North American elk (Cervus elaphus canadensis) antler and bovine femur were measured using four-point bending tests on single-edge notched compact samples (ASTM C1421). Tests were conducted on crack growth directions longitudinal and transverse to the long axis of antler and bone in both dry and hydrated conditions to study the effects of fiber orientation a...

The paper presents the results of tests on the effect of the low calcium fly ash (LCFA) addition, in the amounts of: 0% (LCFA-00), 20% (LCFA-20) and 30% (LCFA-30) by weight of cement, on fracture processes in structural concretes. In the course of the experiments, compressive strength of concrete and fracture toughness for: I (tensile), II (in-plane shear) and III (anti-plane shear) models of c...

INTRODUCTION: One of the most important properties of implant materials for joint arthroplasty is their wear resistance. Because of their excellent wear properties, ceramic materials have found application in particular in total hip arthroplasty; however, brittle failure remains a serious problem. Basic research has thus been focused on nacre, a natural composite consisting of imbricated aragon...