Influence of support friction on three-point bend test

Abstract

One of the most commonly used tests for the experimental determination of the stress intensity factor is the so-called three-point bend test which has been adopted as a standard test by the American Society for Testing and Materials. It has been verified that the actual boundary conditions, i.e. support friction, play an important role in the stress intensity factor in the three-point bend specimen. In this paper the stress intensity factor considering friction at the supports is determined by a novel procedure, which may be of interest to researchers working on the numerical evaluation of stress concentration factors.