Measurement of specific fracture energy and surface tension of brittle materials in powder form

Abstract

This article presents a method for the experimental measurement of specific fracture energy and surface tension of a brittle materials in a powder form. This work is focused on testing a method on the mineral, almandine. A hydraulic press was used in the experiment to crush powder particles, and statistical evaluation was used to analyze the change in the powder surface. The powder was subject to various conditions during crushing. The crushing was performed both in air and in water. It was done at three different compression speeds, namely 15.8 MPa/s, 3.95 MPa/s and 2.25 MPa/s. The experimental results showed measurable differences in the specific fracture energy values in the presented regimes.