This paper presents experimental results regarding the crack propagation and strain field near the crack tip of a particulate composite material under high strain rates. The particulate composite material presently being studied is viscoelastic in nature, therefore, the characteristics of stress relaxation and redistribution near the vicinity of the crack tip are thought to be different under different loading rates. In addition, the strain field ahead of the crack tip is related to the evolution of the damage zone and the crack propagation rate. In particular, the size and shape of a damage zone can dominate the crack propagation process.
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