Calibration of fracture models requires a suite of mechanical tests that cover a wide spectrum of loading conditions (the most critical of which are balanced biaxial tension (BBT), plane-strain tension (PST), uniaxial tension (US), and pure shear (SH)). While these tests are well-known, achieving the intended stress-triaxiality that corresponds to each one of these loading cases could be difficult.
In this presentation, we shed some light on this important topic and present the integration of digital image correlation (DIC) with mechanical testing to support the development and refinement of “fracture testing”. This is NOT simply the use of DIC for reading fracture strains, but rather determining and tracking the evolution of stress-triaxiality in the material and using that as the basis for redesigning and optimizing the designs of the test samples. Moreover, we provide additional insights on how DIC can be used to further support and enhance the process of calibrating fracture material cards (GISSMO).