The fracture behaviour of ABS polymers

The fracture behaviour of three different grades of ABS has been investigated over a range of temperature and strain-rates. A two-stage fracture process has been observed consisting of a slow crack propagation region followed by catastrophic failure. The surface features in these two regions have been examined in detail using scanning electron microscopy. In all cases, the fracture initiation site was located at either a surface defect or at an internal inclusion much larger than the average rubber particle size