Patent ID: 8324078

Claim:
A method of fracturing a composite structure along an embrittlement plane defined between two substrates, which comprises: disposing stiffeners on both sides of the composite structure and spaced from it, adjusting the spacing between the stiffeners and composite structure so that, during a subsequent fracturing step, the composite structure and the stiffeners on both sides of that structure are separated by a cumulative spacing that is greater than zero but less than 500 micrometers, determining the cumulative spacing between the stiffeners and the composite structure to be adjusted according to the diameter of the composite structure and the difference in the thermal expansion coefficient between the substrates making up the structure, and fracturing the composite structure along the embrittlement plane by thermal annealing while the structure is held between the stiffeners so that released energy is damped by stiffeners in held contact with the composite structure such that any shock waves are absorbed.