A numerical method for analysis of fracture statistics of glass and simulations of a double ring bending test

The results from a new numerical method for simulating the strength and fracture locations of small glass specimens subjected to double ring bending are compared with experimental data. The method implements the weakest-link principle while assuming the existence of Griffith flaws. A Weibull distribution for the strength is simulated based on a single population of Pareto distributed crack sizes. The effect of using different fracture criteria is investigated. An alternative distribution is simulated based on two populations of flaws. This distribution models the apparent bimodality in the empirical data set. The numerical method is dependent on a representation of the surface flaws condition in glass. As new techniques become available for examining the surface characteristics, this numerical method is promising as a means for modelling the strength better than current methods do.