Design and applications of length scale compatible fracture test geometries

Knowing a material’s fracture toughness precisely is the first step towards predicting, preventing or delaying the failure of a component. Increasing miniaturization of materials (nanocrystalline and ultra-fine grained) and structures (devices, thin films, multilayers) has motivated the development of length scale compatible fracture test geometries which allow for fracture energy measurements to be made under various loading conditions. Our group has been working on development of some new geometries that we show works for both macro, meso and micro-length scales. Two such examples will be discussed in this talk using the clamped beam bend geometry: a) to evaluate the fracture behavior of architectured materials and b) to determine fracture behavior of multilayers with interfaces.