Abstract
Strain energy density is successfully used as criterion for failure assessment of brittle and quasi-brittle material behavior. This work investigates the possibility to use this method to predict the strength of V-notched specimens made of PMMA under static uniaxial tensile load. Samples are characterized by a variability of notch root radii and notch opening angles. Notched specimens fail with a quasi-brittle behavior, albeit PMMA has a nonlinear stress strain curve at room temperature. The notch root radius has most influence on the strength of the specimen, whereas the angle is less relevant. The value of the strain energy density is computed by means of finite element analysis, the material is considered as linear elastic. Failure prediction, based on the critical value of the strain energy density in a well-defined volume surrounding the notch tip, show very good agreement (error <15%) with experimental data.
Highlights
Real life application components are often characterized by shapes which produce a stress concentration, that are frequently in the form of notches, holes and re-entrant corners
Specimens were measured with a caliper and pictures of a random specimen for each series were taken to evaluate the geometry of the notch
I n this work, the static failure in mode I loading has been investigated using a new set of experimental data obtained using smooth and notched specimens of Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)
Summary
Real life application components are often characterized by shapes which produce a stress concentration, that are frequently in the form of notches, holes and re-entrant corners. These weak points act as crack starter, leading to usually brittle failures for both static and fatigue loads. To predict the failure of weakened components, generalized stress intensify factors are used, which are difficult to obtain and depend on the weakening feature. To assess the strength of notched components it is useful to have a parameter which depends not on geometry, but rather on the material, and to make use of numerical methods which can provide reliable results in a convenient time. Real components are often subjected to mixed mode loading, but mode I has most practical interest because it is predominant [1]
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