Electrical Breakdown Induced by Fracto-Emission

Fracto-emission is the emission of particles (e.g. electrons, ions, neutral species and photons) during and following fracture. In this study, we investigate the possibility that fracture can induce electrical breakdown in air at atmospheric pressure. Fracture of a number of materials were found to induce electrical breakdown including quartz, sapphire, alumina, boron nitride, PZT, glass-filled polybutadiene, and alumina-filled epoxy. These measurements indicate that fracturing induces electrical breakdown due to the emission of charged particles from the fracture which, once released from the fracture area, become available for normal breakdown phenomena.