# s-gst: multiple cracks, simultaneously ...

<< While  the  initiation  of  fracture  in  brittle  solids  is  generally associated  with  the  preexistence  of  material  imperfections,  the mechanism  for  initiation  of  fracture  in  viscoelastic  fluids,  e.g.,  polymer melts  and  solutions,  remains  an  open  question. >>

<< The  images  reveal  the  simultaneous propagation  of  multiple  cracks >>

<< The  critical  stress  and  strain  for  the onset  of  crack  propagation  are  found  to  be  highly  reproducible  functions of  the  stretch  rate,  while  the  position  of  initiation  is  completely  random >>

Qian Huang, Nicolas J. Alvarez, et al. Multiple Cracks Propagate Simultaneously in Polymer Liquids in Tension. Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 087801. Publ 15 Aug. 2016

http://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.087801

Jay Fineberg. How to Fracture a Fluid. Aug.15, 2016

https://physics.aps.org/articles/v9/95