The influence of strain rate on the interfacial fracture toughness between PVB and laminated glass

Abstract
This paper presents the experimental results of high speed tests using laminated safety glass to determine the interfacial fracture toughness between PVB (polyvinyl butyral) sheets and glass plates. Low-speed tensile test of PVB was carried out firstly. PVB shows a non-linear visco-elastic property. The property was described using a non-linear visco-elastic model. The visco-elastic parameters were calculated to compare the experimentally obtained stress-strain curves and the results of simulation. A simple fracture-mechanical model for PVB laminated glass was conducted to determine the energy release rate G. The fracture toughness G_c of the PVB laminated glass specimens were calculated from both the results of low-speed tensile tests and the equation for the energy release rate. The strain-stress curves of PVB under high strain rates are totally different from those of the low speed tests. The phenomenon can be explained from the phase transition due to the difference of strain rates because the mechanical properties of PVB changes from visco-elastic to glassy behavior. The fracture toughness of PVB laminated glass was calculated from the experimental results of high speed tests. Fracture energy was defined and also compared to the fracture toughness.