For ductile polymers, the development of sound relationships between material structure and fracture response calls for the use of robust testing methodologies able to measure properties that describe the different processes occurring during fracture. The most common testing methods used with these materials appear inadequate, and there is a need to examine new approaches. This paper describes the most recent applications of the load separation criterion (LSC) in the fracture characterization of ductile polymers: the testing procedures are introduced and some representative results shown.
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