Why is it that when you cut a small part of plastic it makes tearing much easier?

242 views

Why is it that when you cut a small part of plastic it makes tearing much easier?

In: 17

5 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

In engineering we call it a stress riser. All of the force you’re pushing into the cut gets delivered to the end of the cut, greatly decreasing the energy needed to pull it apart. This is the same principle that causes cracks to propagate through stone, and the reason you see sharp corners filled or rounded in manufacturing.

You are viewing 1 out of 5 answers, click here to view all answers.