An experimental study of the mechanical and fracturing behavior in PMMA specimen containing multiple 3D embedded flaws under uniaxial compression

This paper studies the mechanical and fracture behavior of poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) specimens containing multiple embedded flaws, under uniaxial compression. The initiation, propagation, coalescence of cracks, and failure of specimens are captured by a high-speed digital video camera system. Six types of cracks and three modes of crack coalescence are captured in the PMMA specimens. The experimental observations show that the effects of the flaw angle on crack propagation and coalescence are stronger than the non-overlapping length. Furthermore, the peak strength and crack initiation stress show regular change with increasing in the flaw angle and the non-overlapping length.