Application of Mechanoluminescence for the Dynamic Visualization of an Alumina Fracture

The propagation of cracks was quantitatively analyzed in Al₂O₃ ceramic using the mechanoluminescence (ML) of SrAl₂O₄:Eu, Dy. The bridging zones behind the crack tip were clearly detected in the crack path of Al₂O₃ within a realistic time frame. The magnitudes and shapes of the bridging stress distributions changed with the advancing cracks. They continued to change with the change in the applied load even after the cessation of crack propagation. Effective toughening then commenced, and the applied stress intensity factors dramatically increased up to ∼50 MPa√m. The expected K_Tip values based on the instantaneous bridging stress distributions obtained from the ML observations deviated greatly from those obtained from the measurement using the conventional crack tip lengths; rather, they support the results obtained when bridging tips were used in the quasidynamic crack propagations.