| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2021 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
100 Years and Still Cracking: A Griffith Fracture Symposium
|
| Presentation Title |
The Curious Phenomenon of Prince Rupert's Drops |
| Author(s) |
Koushik Viswanathan, Hillar Aben, Munawar Chaudhri, Srinivasan Chandrasekar |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Srinivasan Chandrasekar |
| Abstract Scope |
We discuss the peculiar fracture behavior of thermally quenched glass drops – first demonstrated dramatically by Prince Rupert of Bavaria in the 16th century, and hence bearing his name. Prince Rupert’s drops are tadpole-shaped drops, typically made from soda lime glass with high thermal expansion coefficient. The head of a drop can withstand impact or even compression loads of up to 15000 N, but its tail breaks with minimal finger pressure, with complete catastrophic disintegration. Using techniques of high-speed photography (~ two million fps) and integrated photoelasticity, we explain, both, the drop’s explosive disintegration, a consequence of repeated crack bifurcation events; and its high impact strength, arising from large surface compressive residual stress. We also provide a theoretical basis for these observations based on considerations of crack dynamics and thermal stresses. The phenomenon of Rupert’s drops offers a beautiful illustration of multiple aspects of Griffith’s pioneering work. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Other, Other, Other |