Pressure effects and fracture of a rubbery particulate composite

The effects of pressure on the fracture properties of a rubbery particulate composite are studied. The results indicate elevated fracture toughness va lues and lower crack growth rates relative to ambient pressure conditions. The regression method employed for determining toughness establishes a mini mum thickness requirement for application of linear elastic fracture mechan ics concepts. Also, it is demonstrated that single edge notched tension spe cimens can be successfully used to predict the fracture initiation of speci mens with semielliptical surface cracks.