DIC technique for measuring crack propagation within 3D printed specimen in the fracture test for polymeric materials

The current investigation provides a novel insight into determining crack growth length in the fracture test for polymeric materials. Eleven Single Edge Notched Bend (SENB) beams, which were three-dimensional (3D) printed by using Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) filament, were experimentally subjected to fracture test according to ASTM D6068-10. In this standard (conventional method), the crack growth length is measured by using a Crack Propagation Gauge (CPG) or Digital Microscope (DM), which are not accurate enough compared to the introduced innovative technique. In the present approach, Digital Image Correlation (DIC) analysis is efficiently employed to measure crack extension, which has not been hitherto introduced in the literature. The distinctive advantage of using this new procedure is that crack growth length can be measured more accurately. Thus, a more realistic fracture toughness value is obtained. The difference between amounts of fracture toughness calculated by both methods is 17.14%, which shows the importance of utilizing this novel technique.