Fracture Toughness of Space Shuttle External Tank Insulation Foam
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This paper investigates the fracture toughness of the rigid, closed-cell, polyurethane foam used for insulation on the Space Shuttle External Tank. Plane strain fracture toughness data were obtained by loading double-edge-notched specimens in tension. To account for the anisotropic nature of the foam, two types of specimens were tested so as to represent fracture properties along two different directions. Additionally, for each type of specimen, two different notch sizes were tested. Copyright 2006 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved.