We present an experimental and theoretical study of the fragmentation of
polymeric materials by impacting polypropylene particles of spherical shape
against a hard wall. Experiments reveal a power law mass distribution of
fragments with an exponent close to 1.2, which is significantly different from
the known exponents of three-dimensional bulk materials. A 3D discrete element
model is introduced which reproduces both the large permanent deformation of
the polymer during impact, and the novel value of the mass distribution
exponent. We demonstrate that the dominance of shear in the crack formation and
the plastic response of the material are the key features which give rise to
the emergence of the novel universality class of fragmentation phenomena.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, appearing in Phys. Rev. Let
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