Mixed-mode crack growth in toughened PMMA

Experimental results concerning mixed-mode crack growth in PMMA specimens are presented, together with numerical simulations of the whole fracture process. The mixed-mode tests were conducted on single edge notched specimens subject to three point bending loading conditions. The mode-mixity of the fracture loading was obtained by means of a notch offset with respect to the mid-span cross section. A generalized finite element approach was adopted for the numerical simulations, coupled with a local description of the fracture process based on a mixed-mode cohesive law.