Abstract
A fracture criterion based on the concept of linear notch mechanics for predicting strength in static load is subjected to further theoretical and experimental scrutiny. An experimental program is presented which examines the effects of notch-root radius and fiber orientation on the fracture behavior of FRP plates. This is accomplished by obtaining experimental data in tension and bending tests on a glass cloth/epoxy laminate (JIS: EL-GEM) containing notches with a wide range of notch-root radii. To examine the effect of fiber orientation on the fracture behavior, the stress distributions near the notch root of notched FRP plates were determined by finite element analysis. The experiment showed that the nominal stress at fracture decreased with decreasing notch-root radius for a constant notch depth. It has been verified that the maximum elastic stress at the notch root when the specimen fails, σmax, c, is governed by the notch-root radius ρ only and independent of type of static load. In other words, the one-to-one relation curve between σmax, c and ρ for notched FRP plates in tension tests agrees well with the curve in bending tests. The fracture characteristics mentioned above was independent of fiber orientation. On the basis of the concept of linear notch mechanics, the experimental results can be clearly explained.
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