The Nature of the Mechanical Strength of Glass

JSGT_1936_V20_T432_T448

The fundamentals underlying the fracture of glass are explained on a theory of internal structural flaws. It is shown that rupture commences with a crack starting from a local fault, and is developed by secondary fracture surfaces originating at those places where the initial crack is extended by the natural inhomogeneities in the glass. The process of rupture is greatly influenced by the thermal agitation of the molecules.

Adolf Smekal