Engineering Fracture Mechanics 77 (2010) 3087–3104

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Engineering Fracture Mechanics

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/engfracmech

Investigation of mixed mode brittle fracture in rounded-tip

V-notched components
M.R. Ayatollahi *, A.R. Torabi
Fatigue and Fracture Research Laboratory, Center of Excellence in Experimental Solid Mechanics and Dynamics, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Iran University of Science and Technology, Narmak, 16846 Tehran, Iran

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: A criterion is proposed for brittle fracture analysis in rounded-tip V-notched components.
Received 29 April 2009 This criterion, called RV-MTS, is developed based on the maximum tangential stress (MTS)
Received in revised form 12 May 2010 criterion proposed earlier for investigating mixed mode brittle fracture in sharp cracks.
Accepted 22 July 2010
Using the RV-MTS criterion, a set of fracture curves is presented based on the notch stress
Available online 25 July 2010
intensity factors (NSIFs) for predicting mixed mode and also pure mode II fracture tough-
ness of rounded-tip V-notches. The criterion is also able to predict fracture initiation angles
Keywords:
under mixed mode loading. The validity of the criterion is evaluated by several fracture
Brittle fracture
Rounded-tip V-notch
tests performed on the rounded-tip V-notched Brazilian disc (RV-BD) specimens made of
RV-MTS criterion PMMA. A good agreement is shown to exist between the theoretical predictions and the
RV-BD specimen experimental results for various notch opening angles and different notch radii.
Mixed mode loading Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

V-notches which are widely used in mechanical components such as bolts, nuts and screws, decrease dramatically the
load bearing capacity of components due to the concentration of stress at the vicinity of their tips. A reliable prediction
of the mechanical failure like crack formation and growth in the vicinity of V-notches has been a topic of great interest to
the researchers. For brittle materials, fracture occurs suddenly and hence an appropriate failure criterion is needed for pre-
dicting the fracture initiation in brittle V-notched components. V-shaped notches exist in two general forms: sharp V-
notches (with very small notch tip radius) and rounded-tip V-notches. In practice, rounded-tip V-notches are utilized wider
than the sharp ones because of their lower stress concentration.
There are many different criteria for investigating brittle fracture in components containing a crack and loaded under
mixed mode or pure mode II loading. One of these fracture theories is the maximum tangential stress (MTS) criterion, orig-
inally proposed by Erdogan and Sih [1]. This criterion was modified by Smith et al. [2] who suggested the generalized MTS
(GMTS) criterion by taking into account the effects of T-stress in mixed-mode fracture. Several failure criteria have been pro-
posed in the past for brittle fracture in sharp V-notches under pure mode I loading (see for instance [3–11]).
For mixed mode loading conditions and in the presence of sharp V-notches, only few fracture criteria have been proposed
in the literature (see [12–17]). The prediction of the load that initiates failure in the vicinity of rounded-tip notches attracted
extensive research efforts in the recent years. For example, the cohesive zone model was applied by Gomez and Elices [18,19]
and Gomez et al. [20] as a failure criterion for rounded-tip V-notched or U-notched specimens under mode I loading, with a
good correlation with the experimental results. Leguillon and Yosibash [21] also studied rounded-tip V-notches under pure
mode I loading using a combined stress-based and Griffith energy criterion.

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +98 21 7724 0201; fax: +98 21 7724 0488.
E-mail addresses: m.ayat@iust.ac.ir (M.R. Ayatollahi), a_torabi@iust.ac.ir (A.R. Torabi).

0013-7944/$ - see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.engfracmech.2010.07.019
3088 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 77 (2010) 3087–3104

Nomenclature

E Young’s modulus
KIc plane-strain fracture toughness
V;q
KI notch stress intensity factor-mode I
V;q
K II notch stress intensity factor-mode II
V;q
K Ic notch fracture toughness in pure mode I
rc critical distance for sharp crack
rc,V critical distance for rounded-tip V-notch
2a notch opening angle
ki eigenvalues (singularity exponents)
li eigenvalues (real parameters)
m Poisson’s ratio
q notch tip radius
rrr radial stress
rrh in-plane shear stress
ru ultimate tensile strength
rhh tangential stress
(rhh)c critical value of rhh
h0 fracture initiation angle
h0II fracture initiation angle in pure mode II

Mixed mode brittle failure of U-notched components has also been investigated by Gomez et al. [22,23], Berto et al. [24],
Kullmer and Richard [25] and Gomez et al. [26]. Ayatollahi and Torabi [27] have recently studied mixed mode brittle fracture
in U-notched components via extending the maximum tangential stress (MTS) criterion to U-notched domains. A good
agreement has been shown to exist between the results of their criterion and the experimental results.
However, very few researchers have studied mixed mode brittle fracture in rounded-tip V-notched components. In par-
ticular, one can mention a failure criterion proposed recently by Priel et al. [28] which is an extension to Yosibash et al. [15]
criterion for blunt notches (having a small radius at the V-notch tip) under mixed mode loading. The asymptotic analysis in
Leguillon and Yosibash [21] has been revisited and a rigorous mathematical analysis has been provided. When one considers
relatively large V-notch tip radii, the accuracy of the proposed criterion deteriorates, because the formulation of the criterion
is based on the smallness of the V-notch tip radius that allows an approximated asymptotic analysis. Therefore, the criterion
proposed by Priel et al. [28] is not able to predict failure of rounded-tip V-notches with rather large notch radii. Furthermore,
this criterion is not applicable to pure mode II loading conditions. No failure criterion has yet been developed to predict frac-
ture toughness of rounded-tip V-shaped notches under pure mode II loading.
In the present paper, a brittle fracture criterion, called RV-MTS, is developed based on the maximum tangential stress
(MTS) criterion for rounded-tip V-notches under mixed mode loading. The results of the RV-MTS criterion are presented
in the form of fracture curves which are plotted based on the notch stress intensity factors (NSIFs). The fracture initiation
angles can also be predicted in rounded-tip V-notches by using the proposed criterion. The validity of the RV-MTS criterion
is verified by using experimental results.

2. Elastic stress field for rounded-tip V-notches

The elastic stress field for sharp V-shaped notches under mixed mode I/II loading was first presented by Williams [29] as
an exact solution. For rounded-tip V-shaped notches (shown in Fig. 1), an expression was later developed for mixed mode
stress distribution by Filippi et al. [30]. This expression is an approximate solution because it satisfies the boundary condi-
tions only in a finite number of points on the notch edge and not on the whole edge. Filippi et al. [30] obtained the stress
distribution using a conformal mapping in an auxiliary system of curvilinear coordinates ‘‘u and v” that are related to the
Cartesian coordinates ‘‘x and y” as (x + iy) = (u + iv)q. The power ‘‘q” is a real positive coefficient ranging from 1 (for a flat edge)
to 2 (for a crack).
The mixed mode stresses can be written as:
8 9 28 9ðIÞ 8 9ðIÞ 3 28 9ðIIÞ 8 9ðIIÞ 3
< rhh >
> = K V; q < fhh ðhÞ >
> = r < g hh ðhÞ >
 l1 k1 > = K V;q < fhh ðhÞ >
> = r < g hh ðhÞ >
 l2 k2 > =
rrr ¼ pffiffiffiffiffiffiIffi 1k 6
4 frr ðhÞ þ g rr ðhÞ
7 6
5 þ pffiffiffiffiffiffiIIffi 1k 4 frr ðhÞ þ g rr ðhÞ
7
5 ð1Þ
>
: >
; 2pr 1 > : >
; r0 >
: >
; 2pr 2 > : >
; r0 >
: >
;
rrh frh ðhÞ g rh ðhÞ frh ðhÞ g rh ðhÞ

where K VI ;q and K VII ;q are the mode I and mode II notch stress intensity factors (NSIFs), respectively. The superscript V states
that the notch is of a V-shape and the superscript q indicates that the tip of notch is round and not sharp. The parameter r0 is
the distance between the origin of the polar coordinate system and the notch tip. The functions fij(h) and gij(h), also the
 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 77 (2010) 3087–3104 3089

Fig. 1. Rounded-tip V-notch and its polar coordinate system.

eigenvalues ki and li which depend on the notch opening angle have been reported in Appendix. According to a relation that
exists between the Cartesian and the curvilinear coordinate systems, r0 can be written as [30]:
p  2a
r0 ¼ q ð2Þ
2p  2a
where ‘‘2a” is the notch opening angle and q is the notch radius. The expressions for NSIFs are [31]:
q
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi ðrhh Þ r1k1
K V; ¼ 2p h¼0
ð3Þ
1 þ x1 ðrr0 Þl1 k1
I

q
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi ðrrh Þ r 1k2
K V; ¼ 2p h¼0
ð4Þ
1 þ x2 ðrr0 Þl2 k2
II

where rhh and rrh are the tangential and the in-plane shear stresses, respectively. The auxiliary parameters x1 and x2 have
been presented in Appendix.
According to Eq. (1), the tangential stress around the notch tip is:
"  l1 k1 # "  l2 k2 #
q q
K V;
I ðIÞ r ðIÞ K V;
II ðIIÞ r ðIIÞ
rhh ðr; hÞ ¼ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi 1k fhh ðhÞ þ g hh ðhÞ þ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi fhh ðhÞ þ g hh ðhÞ ð5Þ
2pr 1 r0 2pr 1k2 r0

In order to simplify the equations, for each main parameter in our notations a specific symbol is considered. These param-
eters and their corresponding symbols are shown in Table 1.
The values of the parameters vbi ; vci and vdi ði ¼ 1; 2Þ which depend on the notch opening angle have been given in Ref.
[30].
Using Table 1, Eq. (5) can be rewritten as:
"  P  #
K V; q
r 
I
rhh ðr; hÞ ¼ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi S LðR cos Sh þ vb1 S cos RhÞ þ M vd1 V cos Wh þ vc1 cos Vh
2pr r0
" #
K V; q    r Q  
II
þ pffiffiffiffiffiffi ffi N T sin Uh þ vb2 T sin Th þ O vd2 X sin Yh  vc2 sin Xh ð6Þ
2pr U r0

Table 1
The symbols used for simplifying mathematical equations.

Parameter Symbol Parameter Symbol

1  k1 S l1  k1 P
1 þ k1 R l2  k2 Q
rc;V
1  k2 U r0
H
1 þ k2 T 1
½1þk1 þvb ð1k1 Þ
L
1
q
1  l1 W 4ðq1Þ½1þk1 þvb ð1k1 Þ
M
1

1 þ l1 V 1
½1k2 þvb ð1þk2 Þ
N
2

1  l2 Y 1
4ðl2 1Þ½1k2 þvb ð1þk2 Þ
O
2

1 þ l2 X
3090 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 77 (2010) 3087–3104

If the values of the parameters x1 and x2 are known, the notch stress intensity factors can be obtained from Eqs. (3) and (4)
as

q
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi rhh ðr0 ; 0Þr 1k1
K V;
I ¼ 2p 0
ð7Þ
1 þ x1
q
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi rrh ðr; 0Þr 1k2
K V; ¼ lim 2p ð8Þ
1  ðrr0 Þl2 k2
II r!r0

q q
Note that the parameter r in Eq. (8) cannot be directly substituted by r0, since for r = r0, K V;
II becomes singular. Therefore, K V;
II
is calculated from Eq. (8) at a point very close to the notch tip where r ? r0. Eqs. (6)–(8) will be used in the next section for
deriving the expressions of RV-MTS criterion.

3. Mixed mode brittle fracture criterion

The conventional maximum tangential stress (MTS) criterion is a well known failure criterion frequently used for inves-
tigating mixed mode brittle fracture for sharp cracks [1]. According to this criterion, fracture takes place along the direction
of maximum tangential stress h0 when the tangential stress at the critical distance rc from the crack tip attains a critical value
(rhh)c. The origin of the coordinate system for sharp cracks locates at the crack tip hence the critical distance rc is measured
from the crack tip. The material parameters rc and (rhh)c are often considered to be independent of geometry and loading
conditions for sharp cracks. The results of the MTS and the generalized MTS [2] criteria in predicting fracture initiation in
the elements containing a sharp crack have earlier been investigated by several researchers for various brittle materials.
A very good agreement has been shown to exist between the theoretical predictions and the experimental results (see for
example [1,32,33]). In this paper, the MTS criterion is extended to rounded-tip V-notches and a new criterion called the
RV-MTS criterion is proposed to predict mixed mode brittle fracture in V-notched components. According to the require-
ments of the MTS criterion, the first and the second derivatives of the tangential stress (rhh) with respect to h should be zero
and negative, respectively. The first hypothesis of RV-MTS criterion suggests that brittle fracture initiates radially from a
point on the notch border along a direction for which the tangential stress at a critical distance rc,V is a maximum. The direc-
tion h corresponding to this point is called here the fracture initiation angle h0. The RV-MTS criterion also proposes that brit-
tle fracture in a V-notched component takes place when the tangential stress rhh along h0 and at a critical distance rc,V attains
a critical value (rhh)c. The parameter rc,V is the critical distance for rounded-tip V-notches measured from the origin of polar
coordinate system (Fig. 1) and not from the notch tip. Therefore, rc,V is not a fixed material property and depends on the
notch geometry.
Considering the MTS criterion, one can write:
@ rhh ðr; hÞ
¼0 ð9aÞ
@h
2
@ rhh ðr; hÞ
<0 ð9bÞ
@h2
By substituting Eq. (6) into Eq. (9a) and replacing r and h by rc,V and h0, one can derive an equation for determining the angle
q q
h0 in terms of K V;
I and K V;
II as:
" #
K V; q   r P  
I c;V
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi L RS sin Sh0  RSvb1 sin Rh0 þ M vd1 VW sin Wh0  vc1 V sin Vh0
2pðr c;V ÞS r0
" #
K V; q   r Q  
II 2 c;V
þ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi N TU cos Uh0 þ vb2 T cos Th0 þ O vd2 XY cos Yh0  vc2 X cos Xh0 ¼ 0 ð10Þ
2pðr c;V ÞU r0

q
In pure mode I loading condition, K V;
II is zero and Eq. (10) can be rewritten as

  r P
c;V
L RS sin Sh0  RSvb1 sin Rh0 þ Mðvd1 VW sin Wh0  vc1 V sin Vh0 Þ ¼ 0 ð11Þ
r0

The trivial root of Eq. (11) is h0 = 0. The only acceptable value for h0 is also zero because of symmetry in geometry and load-
q
ing. In pure mode II, K V;
I is zero and Eq. (10) can be simplified into
  r Q  
c;V
N TU cos Uh0 þ vb2 T 2 cos Th0 þ O vd2 XY cos Yh0  vc2 X cos Xh0 ¼ 0 ð12Þ
r0
Fracture in pure mode II loading conditions initiates along h0 (denoted here by h0II) where the value of h0II is determined
by solving Eq. (12). According to Eq. (12), the parameter h0II depends on notch critical distance rc,V, the notch opening angle
and the notch radius.
 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 77 (2010) 3087–3104 3091

The second hypothesis of the RV-MTS criterion suggests that fracture occurs when the tangential stress along h = h0 and at
the distance r = rc,V attains the critical value (rhh)c. Therefore, at the fracture instance, Eq. (6) can be written as:
" #
K V; q   r P  
I c;V
ðrhh Þc ¼ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi L R cos Sh0 þ vb1 S cos Rh0 þ M vd1 V cos Wh0 þ vc1 cos Vh0
2pðrc;V ÞS r0
" #
K V; q   r Q  
II c;V
þ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi N T sin Uh0 þ vb2 T sin Th0 þ O vd2 X sin Yh0  vc2 sin Xh0 ð13Þ
2pðr c;V ÞU r0

Eq. (13) is the governing equation for mixed mode brittle fracture in rounded-tip V-shaped notches. On the other hand and
q
from a fracture mechanics point of view, pure mode I fracture takes place when the notch stress intensity factor (K V; I )
V;q V;q
reaches its critical value K Ic [19]. The parameter K Ic is called the mode I notch fracture toughness and can be determined
q
experimentally [18,19]. K V;Ic is not a fixed material property because it depends on the notch opening angle and the notch
radius. It can also be predicted theoretically by some appropriate failure criteria [18,19]. Such criteria often make use of crit-
q
ical values of principal stress or strain energy density at a critical distance to derive a relation between K V;
Ic and material and
geometry parameters like tensile strength, q, 2a, etc.
If the conditions related to pure mode I fracture
h0 ¼ 0
q q
K V;
I ¼ K V;
Ic ð14Þ
q
K V;
II ¼0

q
are replaced into Eq. (13), (rhh)c can be written in terms of K V;
Ic , rc,V and other notch parameters as

K V;q h i
ðrhh Þc ¼ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiIc S
LðR þ vb1 SÞ þ HP Mðvd1 V þ vc1 Þ ð15Þ
2pðrc;V Þ

By replacing Eq. (15) into Eq. (13), (rhh) is omitted and an equation can be obtained for the onset fracture in a rounded-tip V-
q V ;q V;q
notched components in terms of K V; I , K II , K Ic and rc,V as

q V;q
K V; P
I ½LðR cos Sh0 þ vb1 S cos Rh0 Þ þ ðHÞ Mðvd1 V cos Wh0 þ vc1 cos Vh0 Þ þ K II ðr c;V Þ
ðSUÞ
½NðT sin Uh0
q
þ vb2 T sin Th0 Þ þ ðHÞQ Oðvd2 X sin Yh0  vc2 sin Xh0 Þ ¼ K V; P
Ic ½LðR þ vb1 SÞ þ H Mðvd1 V þ vc1 Þ ð16Þ

If the values of K VIc;q and rc,V are known for a notched specimen, one can use Eqs. (10) and (16) and plot the mixed-mode frac-
q q
ture curves based on the notch stress intensity factors (K V; I and K V;
II ) for various notch opening angles and different notch
radii. Sample fracture curves will be presented in the forthcoming sections. However, an appropriate method should be first
presented to estimate rc,V for a rounded-tip V-notch. If the values of K VIc;q and (rhh)c are known, one can implicitly compute rc,V
from Eq. (15), as
2 h i31S
q r
K V;
Ic LðR þ vb1 SÞ þ ð rc;V0 ÞP Mðvd1 V þ vc1 Þ
rc;V 4 pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi 5 ¼0 ð17Þ
2pðrhh Þc

As mentioned earlier, the parameter rc,V is measured from the origin of the polar coordinate system (located at the distance r0
from the notch tip) and not from the notch tip. Also, it is seen from Eq. (17) that the parameter rc,V depends on the value of
q
K V;
Ic . Therefore, the notch critical distance (rc,V) is a geometry dependent parameter and is not a fixed material property. Once
V;q
K Ic is determined through experiment, the only unknown parameter in Eq. (18) is rc,V. The numerical computations show
that Eq. (18) has only one real root. Since rc,V is a real parameter, the complex values are not acceptable.
The parameter (rhh)c is a material property and is commonly considered to be the ultimate tensile strength ru for brittle
and quasi-brittle materials. This is because the final fracture for a specimen subjected to tensile loading will occur only when
the molecular bonds of the material are broken. This condition can be assumed to be valid for both defective (cracked or
notched) and non-defective samples. The only difference between a notched or cracked specimen and a flawless one is that,
for the defective sample, the stress gradient in the vicinity of the notch tip is very high and hence the local stress reaches ru
under lower values of the load.
A review of literature indicates that using the ultimate tensile strength instead of (rhh)c in the theoretical investigations
has resulted in satisfactory fracture predictions for several brittle and quasi-brittle materials such as PMMA at room temper-
ature, duraluminium, PVC foam [10], PMMA at 60 °C [19,22] and ceramics [34].
In order to evaluate the accuracy of the RV-MTS criterion, it is essential to perform mixed-mode fracture tests on appro-
priate rounded-tip V-notched specimens. For this purpose, a new test sample is introduced in the next section and the notch
parameters (NSIFs) are computed for this specimen by using the finite element method.
3092 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 77 (2010) 3087–3104

4. Finite element analysis

The rounded-tip V-notched Brazilian disc (RV-BD) specimens were used for the experimental investigation of mixed-
mode fracture in rounded-tip V-notches. Fig. 2 shows the RV-BD specimen schematically.
In Fig. 2, b is the angle between the loading direction and the notch bisector line and the parameters D, d/2 and P are the
disc diameter, the notch length and the applied compressive load, respectively. When the direction of applied load P is along
the notch bisector line (i.e. b = 0), the upper and the lower corners of the rhombic hole are subjected to pure mode I defor-
mation. If the angle b is not zero, the notch is subjected to mixed mode I/II loading. When the angle b gradually increases, the
loading conditions changes from pure mode I towards pure mode II. For a specific angle called bII, pure mode II deformation is
achieved. The mode II loading angle bII is always less than 90° and depends on the notch length and its opening angle and
also on the notch tip radius.
In order to compute the K VI ;q and K VII ;q for the RV-BD specimens used in the experiments, it is necessary to perform a finite
element analysis for each test specimen. Under an arbitrary load P, the values of tangential and shear stresses (rhh and rrh)
along the notch bisector are obtained from the FE analysis and the notch stress intensity factors (NSIFs) are calculated from
Eqs. (7) and (8).

Fig. 2. The RV-BD specimen.

(a) Mesh pattern for the whole specimen. (b) Mesh pattern in the vicinity of notch tip.

Fig. 3. Meshed RV-BD specimen for notch opening angle of 30° and notch radius q = 4 mm.
 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 77 (2010) 3087–3104 3093

A plane stress FE model with a total number of 52,800 elements was created for each specimen. The FE analyses were
performed using the commercial code ABAQUS. Fig. 3 shows a typical mesh pattern used for the RV-BD specimen with
the notch opening angle of 30° and the notch radius q = 4 mm.
In order to obtain the loading angle corresponding to pure mode II deformation (bII), b is gradually increased from zero
and the tangential stress at the notch tip (rhh (r0, 0)) is calculated from the FE results. For a fixed load P, as b becomes larger,
q
the value of rhh (r0, 0) decreases. According to Eq. (7), bII is the angle for which (rhh (r0, 0)) and hence K V;
I are equal to zero
and the rounded-tip V-notch is subjected to pure mode II deformation. The FE analyses showed that bII increases for larger
notch opening angles. The analyses also indicated that for a constant notch opening angle, the angle bII is not significantly
affected by the notch tip radius. The finite element calculations for the RV-BD specimens of d/D = 0.5 showed that bII de-
pended on the notch opening angle and was about 25°, 30° and 35° for the notch opening angles 30°, 60° and 90°,
respectively.

5. Experiments

Several specimens have earlier been suggested in literature for the experimental investigation of brittle fracture in the
components containing sharp or rounded-tip cracks and notches. These specimens are mainly the single-edge notched ten-
sion (SENT), the double-edge notched tension (DENT) and also the rectangular plate subjected to three-point bend (TPB) or
four-point bend (FPB) loading. One of the specimens commonly used for mixed-mode fracture tests in cracked elements is
the centrally cracked Brazilian disc specimen (see for example [32,35,36]).
In the present paper, a rounded-tip V-notched Brazilian disc specimen, called RV-BD, is used to validate the RV-MTS cri-
terion. The material used for fabricating RV-BD specimens was the glassy polymer PMMA which is relatively homogenous
and isotropic material that often fails in a brittle manner even at room temperature. To prepare the specimens, a high-pre-
cision 2-D CNC water jet cutting machine was utilized to fabricate the specimens from a PMMA sheet of 10-mm thick. The
cut surfaces of the specimens were then polished by using a fine abrasive paper.
The parameters E and ru for PMMA were determined using a standard tensile test according to code ASTM D638-99 [37].
The parameters m and KIc for PMMA were also obtained using standard procedures described in codes ASTM E132-04 [38] and
ASTM D5045-99 [39], respectively. However, it should be noted that the fracture criterion proposed in this paper is indepen-
dent of E and m because the RV-MTS criterion is a stress-based theory. The properties of the tested PMMA were obtained as
pffiffiffiffiffi
ru ¼ 70:5 MPa; K Ic ¼ 1:96 MPa m
ð18Þ
E ¼ 2:96 GPa; m ¼ 0:38

For all the RV-BD specimens, the disc diameter (D), the notch length (d/2) and the thickness were 80 mm, 20 mm and 10 mm,
respectively.
To study the effects of the notch opening angle and the notch tip radius on the fracture behavior of the RV-BD specimens,
three values of notch opening angle 2a = 30°, 60°, 90° and three values of notch radius q = 1, 2, 4 mm were considered for
preparing the specimens. A total number of 162 mixed-mode fracture tests were performed for various notch geometry
parameters and different loading angles b from 0 (pure mode I) to bII (pure mode II). For 2a = 30°, experiments were

Fig. 4. The RV-BD specimen subjected to pure mode I fracture test (2a = 90°).
3094 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 77 (2010) 3087–3104

performed according to the loading angles (b) equal to 0°, 5°, 10°, 15°, 20°, 25°. Similarly, for 2a = 60° and 90°, fracture tests
were conducted for various angles b of 0°, 5°, 10°, 15°, 25°, 30° and 0°, 5°, 10°, 15°, 25°, 35°, respectively. For each geometry
shape and loading angle at least two fracture tests were performed.

Fig. 5. The RV-BD specimen subjected to mixed-mode fracture test (2a = 60°).

Fig. 6. The RV-BD specimens broken under mixed mode loading.

Table 2
q
The numerical values of K V;
Ic and rc,V together with the mean values of mode I fracture loads Pav. for PMMA specimens.

2a = 30° 2a = 60° 2a = 90°

q = 1 (mm) q = 2 (mm) q = 4 (mm) q = 1 (mm) q = 2 (mm) q = 4 (mm) q = 1 (mm) q = 2 (mm) q = 4 (mm)
Pav. [N] 4440 4612 4725 3343 4022 4136 1617 2206 2700
V;q 2.05 2.5 3.2 2.2 2.93 3.52 2.65 3.60 4.85
K Ic ðMPa mð1k1 Þ Þ
rc,V (mm) 0.49 0.87 1.57 0.45 0.85 1.43 0.34 0.68 1.33
 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 77 (2010) 3087–3104 3095

Figs. 4 and 5 show two examples of the PMMA specimens subjected to mode I and mixed-mode fracture tests.
Fig. 6 shows sample RV-BD specimens broken after mixed-mode fracture tests.
For each notch opening angle, the pure mode I fracture loads were used to calculate the corresponding rhh (r0, 0) from the
q
FE analysis. The critical mode I NSIF was then calculated using Eq. (7). The mode I notch fracture toughness K V; Ic for the re-
lated notch angle was taken as the average of these critical NSIFs. The critical distance rc,V was also calculated from Eq. (17).
q
The numerical values of the calculated parameters K V;Ic and rc,V, also the mean values of mode I fracture loads are given in
Table 2 for PMMA specimens.

6
RV-MTS Predictions
5

4
Fracture
3

2 Safe Zone

0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2

Fig. 7. A sample mixed-mode fracture curve of a rounded-tip V-notched PMMA component for 2a = 30° and q = 1 (mm).

7
(a) (b) 6
2α = 30 (deg.) ρ = 1 (mm) 2α = 30 (deg.) RV-MTS Predictions
KV,ρII / KV,ρIc [m(λ1-λ2)]

KV,ρII / KV,ρIc [m (λ1-λ2)]

6 ρ = 2 (mm) ρ = 1 (mm) Experimental Data

5
ρ = 4 (mm)
5
4
4
3
3
2
2

1 1

0 0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2

KV,ρI / KV,ρIc KV,ρI / KV,ρIc

(c) 6
2α = 30 (deg.)
(d) 7
RV-MTS Predictions 2α = 30 (deg.) RV-MTS Predictions
KV,ρII / KV, Ic [m ( 1- 2)]

ρ = 2 (mm)
KV,ρII / KV,ρIc [m (λ1-λ2)]

Experimental Data 6 ρ = 4 (mm) Experimental Data

5
λ λ

5
4

4
3
ρ

3
2
2

1
1

0 0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2

KV,ρI / KV,ρIc KV,ρI / KV,ρIc

Fig. 8. Mixed mode fracture curves for rounded-tip V-notches in PMMA with notch opening angle of 30° and various notch radii. Figure (a) corresponds to
RV-MTS predictions and figures (b)–(d) show the theoretical results compared with experimental data.
3096 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 77 (2010) 3087–3104

Once the mode I notch fracture toughness and the critical distance rc,V are known, mixed-mode fracture in rounded-tip V-
notched components can be studied using a series of fracture curves that depend on the notch opening angle and the notch
tip radius. The curves are similar to the fracture curve of the classical MTS criterion which has been frequently used for ana-
lyzing the components having a sharp crack. To obtain these curves, a parameter called the notch mode mixity parameter
(MeV ) is defined as:
!
q
2 K V; ðk1 k2 Þ
MeV ¼ tan 1 I
q r c;V ð19Þ
p K V;
II

q V ;q
The value of M eV varies from zero (for pure mode II) to one (for pure mode I). Now, obtaining the ratio ðK V;
I =K II Þ from Eq.
(10) and substituting into Eq. (19) gives

r !
2 NðTU cos Uh0 þ vb2 T 2 cos Th0 Þ þ ð rc;V0 ÞQ Oðvd2 XY cos Yh0  vc2 X cos Xh0 Þ
MeV ¼ tan1  ð20Þ
p r
LðRS sin Sh0  RSvb1 sin Rh0 Þ þ ð rc;V0 ÞP Mðvd1 VW sin Wh0  vc1 V sin Vh0 Þ

To achieve the fracture curve for given values of the notch tip radius, the notch opening angle and the notch critical distance,
one can follow the steps described below:

1. Choose an arbitrary value of the parameter M eV between zero and one.

2. Substitute M eV into Eq. (20).
3. Solve Eq. (20) and determine h0.
4. Substitute h0 into Eqs. (10) and (16).
q V;q
5. Solve a linear system of equations consisting of Eqs. (10) and (16) and find the normalized NSIFs: ðK V;
I =K Ic Þ and
V ;q V;q
ðK II =K Ic Þ.
6. Repeat steps 1–5 for other values of M eV .
7. Draw the fracture curve using the series of points calculated in step 5.

14
(a) 16 (b) 2α = 60 (deg.) RV-MTS Predictions
ρ = 1 (mm)
KV,ρII / K Ic [m 1 2 ]
KV,ρII / KV,ρIc [m (λ1-λ2)]

14 2α = 60 (deg.)
(λ -λ )

12 ρ = 1 (mm) Experimental Data

ρ = 2 (mm)
12 ρ = 4 (mm)
10
10
8
8
V,ρ

6
6
4
4

2 2

0 0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2

KV,ρI / KV,ρIc KV,ρI / KV,ρIc

14
(c) 2α = 60 (deg.) RV-MTS Predictions
(d) 16
2α = 60 (deg.) RV-MTS Predictions
KV,ρII / KV,ρIc [m (λ1-λ2)]

KV,ρII / KV,ρIc [m (λ1-λ2)]

12 ρ = 2 (mm) Experimental Data 14 ρ = 4 (mm) Experimental Data

10 12

10
8
8
6
6
4
4
2 2

0 0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2

KV,ρI / KV,ρIc KV,ρI / KV,ρIc

Fig. 9. Mixed mode fracture curves for rounded-tip V-notches in PMMA with notch opening angle of 60° and various notch radii. Figure (a) corresponds to
RV-MTS predictions and figures (b)–(d) show the theoretical results compared with experimental data.
 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 77 (2010) 3087–3104 3097

Fig. 7 shows a sample mixed mode (I/II) fracture curve of a rounded-tip V-notched PMMA component for the notch open-
ing angle 2a = 30° and the notch radius q = 1 (mm).
q V;q V;q V;q
Note that the parameter ðK V; I =K Ic Þ is dimensionless while the parameter ðK II =K Ic Þ has a dimension of ðm
ðk1 k2 Þ
Þ. In or-
der to use these curves in practical cases and to predict if a V-notched component fractures under a given load, first the notch
q
stress intensity factors should be calculated for the notched components. These NSIFs are then divided by K V; Ic to obtain
q V;q V;q V ;q
ðK V;
I =K Ic Þ and ðK II =K Ic Þ and then the corresponding point is determined in Fig. 7. If the point locates under the fracture
curve, the fracture will not occur. But, if it locates over the curve, the fracture is expected to occur. In other words, the points
locating on the fracture curve represent the onset of mixed-mode fracture.
In addition to fracture load, the other important parameter in the fracture analysis of V-notches is the fracture initiation
angle (h0). In order to plot the curves of fracture initiation angle, the following steps should be followed:

1. Choose an arbitrary value for M eV between 0 and 1.

2. Substitute MeV into Eq. (20).
3. Solve Eq. (20) and find the fracture initiation angle h0.
4. Repeat the steps 1–3 for other values of M eV .
5. Draw the parameter h0 versus M eV .

It should be noted that by taking into account the notch coordinate system shown in Fig. 1, the sign of the fracture ini-
tiation angles (h0) and the mode II NSIFs (K VII ;q ) are negative, but the absolute values are shown in Fig. 7 and also in the forth-
coming figures.

6. Results

In this section, the results of the RV-MTS criterion in predicting the mixed-mode fracture toughness and the fracture ini-
tiation angle of rounded-tip V-notches are compared with the experimental data. Fig. 8a shows the theoretical mixed-mode
fracture curves for rounded-tip V-notches in PMMA. These curves are related to the notch opening angle of 30° and three
different notch radii q = 1, 2, 4 mm. The figures indicate that, as the notch radius increases, the notch fracture toughness

25
(a) 30 (b) 2α = 90 (deg.) RV-MTS Predictions
ρ = 1 (mm) ρ = 1 (mm)
KV,ρII / KV,ρIc [m(λ1-λ2)]

2α = 90 (deg.)
KV,ρII / K V,ρIc [m (λ1-λ2)]

Experimental Data (PMMA)

25 ρ = 2 (mm)
20
ρ = 4 (mm)
20
15

15
10
10

5
5

0 0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2

KV,ρI / KV,ρIc KV,ρI / KV,ρIc

(c) 30
2α = 90 (deg.) RV-MTS Predictions
(d) 30
2α = 90 (deg.) RV-MTS Predictions
ρ = 2 (mm)
KV,ρII / KV,ρIc [m(λ1-λ2)]

ρ = 4 (mm)
KV,ρII / KV,ρIc [m(λ1-λ2)]

Experimental Data (PMMA) Experimental Data (PMMA)

25 25

20 20

15 15

10 10

5 5

0 0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2

KV,ρI / KV,ρIc KV,ρI / KV,ρIc

Fig. 10. Mixed mode fracture curves for rounded-tip V-notches in PMMA with notch opening angle of 90° and various notch radii. Figure (a) corresponds to
RV-MTS predictions and figures (b)–(d) show the theoretical results compared with experimental data.
3098 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 77 (2010) 3087–3104

(a) (b)

Fracture initiation angle ( θ0 ) [deg.]

Fracture initiation angle (θ0 ) [deg.]
60 70
RV-MTS Predictions
ρ = 1 (mm) 2α = 30 (deg.)
2α = 30 (deg.) 60 ρ = 1 (mm) Experimental Data (PMMA)
50 ρ = 2 (mm)
ρ = 4 (mm)
50
40
40
30
30
20
20

10
10

0 0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2

Notch mode mixity parameter (M eV ) Notch mode mixity parameter (M eV )

(c) (d)

Fracture initiation angle (θ0 ) [deg.]

Fracture initiation angle ( θ0 ) [deg.]

70 70
RV-MTS Predictions 2α = 30 (deg.) RV-MTS Predictions
2α = 30 (deg.) Experimental Data (PMMA)
60 ρ = 2 (mm) Experimental Data (PMMA) 60 ρ = 4 (mm)

50 50

40 40

30 30

20 20

10 10

0 0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2
Notch mode mixity parameter (M e V) Notch mode mixity parameter (M eV )

Fig. 11. Curves of mixed-mode fracture initiation angles for rounded-tip V-notches in PMMA with notch opening angle of 30° and various notch radii.
Figure (a) represents the theoretical predictions and figures (b)–(d) show the theoretical results compared with experimental results.

is increased. This can be due to a decrease in the stress concentration near the notch tip or an increase in the plastic work
around the notch tip when the notch radius becomes larger. In Fig. 8b–d, the theoretical fracture curves are compared with
the experimental results. While the plotted curves are limited only to PMMA, similar curves can be plotted for other brittle
materials by using the procedure described in the previous section.
Figs. 9 and 10 show similar curves for the notch opening angles of 60° and 90°, respectively.
Fig. 11a shows the theoretical curves of the RV-MTS criterion for the fracture initiation angle in PMMA. The notch opening
angle is 30°. The vertical axis is the fracture initiation angle and the horizontal axis represents the parameter M eV that varies
from 0 (for pure mode II) to 1 (for pure mode I). The figure shows that the fracture initiation angle decreases as the notch
radius increases. In Fig. 11b–d, the theoretical results for PMMA are compared with the experimental results for the notch
opening angle of 30° and three notch radii q = 1, 2, 4 (mm).
Again, Figs. 12 and 13 show similar curves for the notch opening angles of 60° and 90°, respectively.

7. Discussion

The mixed-mode fracture toughness of rounded-tip V-notches was theoretically predicted by the RV-MTS criterion for
various notch radii in Fig. 8–10. It is seen from these figures that a good agreement exists between the theoretical and
the experimental results. The results show that for a constant notch opening angle, the normalized mixed-mode fracture
toughness is increased as the notch radius increases. This is coherent with some other results published in the literature
(see for example [27,28]). A review of Fig. 8–10 also indicates that for a constant notch radius, the numerical value of the
normalized mixed-mode fracture toughness is dramatically increased as the notch opening angle becomes larger. For in-
q V ;q
stance, the predicted values of pure mode II notch fracture toughness ðK V; II =K Ic Þ for V-notched specimens of PMMA with
the notch radius q = 2 mm are presented in Table 3 for various notch opening angles. From a mathematical point of view,
this is because, by increasing the notch opening angle, the term (1  k2) for mode II decreases more rapidly compared to
the term (1  k1) for mode I (see Eqs. (7) and (8), also Ref. [31]). Note that for a constant notch radius, a higher numerical
value of the notch fracture toughness does not necessarily correspond to a higher fracture load. Because, the fracture load
depends not only on the notch opening angle but also on the geometry and loading conditions of the notched component.
 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 77 (2010) 3087–3104 3099

(b)

Fracture initiation angle (θ0 ) [deg.]

(a) 70

Fracture initiation angle (θ0 ) [deg.]

60 2α = 60 (deg.) RV-MTS Predictions

2α = 60 (deg.)
ρ = 1 (mm) 60 ρ = 1 (mm) Experimental Data (PMMA)
50 ρ = 2 (mm)
ρ = 4 (mm) 50
40
40
30
30

20
20

10 10

0 0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2
Notch mode mixity parameter (M e V) Notch mode mixity parameter (M eV )

(c) (d)
Fracture initiation angle (θ0 ) [deg.]

Fracture initiation angle (θ0 ) [deg.]

70 60
2α = 60 (deg.) RV-MTS Predictions 2α = 60 (deg.) RV-MTS Predictions
60 ρ = 2 (mm) Experimental Data ρ = 4 (mm) Experimental Data (PMMA)
50

50
40
40
30
30
20
20

10 10

0 0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2

Notch mode mixity parameter (M eV ) Notch mode mixity parameter (M eV )

Fig. 12. Curves of mixed-mode fracture initiation angles for rounded-tip V-notches in PMMA with notch opening angle of 60° and various notch radii.
Figure (a) represents the theoretical predictions and figures (b)–(d) show the theoretical results compared with experimental results.

For example, the experimental results demonstrated that for RV-BD specimens with a constant notch radius loaded under
q
pure mode I, as the notch opening angle is increased, the value of notch fracture toughness (K V;Ic ) increases while the fracture
load decreases (Table 2). It is worth noting that for all the specimens suggested in the past (such as TPB, FPB, DENT and SENT
q
specimens) both the fracture load and the notch fracture toughness (K V; Ic ) become larger when the notch opening angle in-
creases. More details on this subject have been given in Appendix A2.
Fig. 11a presented the RV-MTS results in predicting mixed-mode fracture initiation angles of rounded-tip V-notches.
According to this figure, as MeV decreases from 1 (mode I) to 0 (mode II), the fracture initiation angle (h0) is increased from
0° up to a mode II fracture initiation angle h0II which depends on the notch opening angle and the notch tip radius (see Eq.
(12)).
Fig. 11a also shows that by increasing the notch tip radius, the fracture initiation angle is slightly reduced. A very good
agreement is observed between the theoretical and the experimental values of fracture initiation angle as presented in
Fig. 11b–d for 2a = 30°. Similar consistencies can be seen in Fig. 12 for 2a = 60° and in Fig. 13 for 2a = 90°. Fig. 13a indicates
that for a V-notch in PMMA with 2a = 90°, h0 is almost independent of the notch tip radius.
The average discrepancies between the theoretical and the experimental values of fracture initiation angle (h0) for PMMA
specimens is approximately 7%.
In order to compare the theoretical values of mixed-mode fracture toughness with the experimental ones, it is essential to
define an appropriate parameter that takes simultaneously into account the effects of both mode I and mode II stress inten-
q
sity factors. For this purpose, a dimensionless parameter K V;
eff
, called the normalized effective notch stress intensity factor, is
defined here:
vffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
u V;q !2 !2
u K V;q
K II ðk2 k1 Þ
¼ t IV;q þ
V;q
K eff r
q c;V ð21Þ
K Ic K V;
Ic

Table 4 presents the numerical values of the effective notch stress intensity factor (K Veff;q ) obtained from both the RV-MTS
theory and the experiments for PMMA. This Table also include the average discrepancies between the theoretical and
3100 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 77 (2010) 3087–3104

(a) (b)

Fracture initiation angle (θ0 ) [deg.]

Fracture initiation angle (θ0 ) [deg.]
50 50
2α = 90 (deg.) RV-MTS Predictions
ρ = 1 (mm) ρ = 1 (mm) Experimental Data (PMMA)
ρ = 2 (mm) 40
40
ρ = 4 (mm)

30 30

20 20

10 10

0 0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2
e
Notch mode mixity parameter (M V) Notch mode mixity parameter (M eV )

(c) (d)
Fracture initiation angle (θ0 ) [deg.]

50 50

Fracture initiation angle (θ0 ) [deg.]

2α = 90 (deg.) RV-MTS Predictions 2α = 90 (deg.) RV-MTS Predictions
ρ = 2 (mm) Experimental Data (PMMA) ρ = 4 (mm) Experimental Data (PMMA)
40 40

30 30

20 20

10 10

0 0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2

Notch mode mixity parameter (M e V) Notch mode mixity parameter (M e

V)

Fig. 13. Curves of mixed-mode fracture initiation angles for rounded-tip V-notches in PMMA with notch opening angle of 90° and various notch radii.
Figure (a) represents the theoretical predictions and figures (b)–(d) show the theoretical results compared with experimental results.

Table 3
q V;q
Mode II notch fracture toughness ratio ðK V;
II =K Ic Þ predicted for V-notched PMMA specimens with different
notch opening angles (notch tip radius q = 2 mm).

Notch opening angle (2a) 30° 60° 90°

V;q V;q 5.32 13.25 24.2
ðK IIc =K Ic Þ ½mðk1 k2 Þ 

experimental results for various notch opening angles and different notch tip radii. The mean discrepancy of 7.3% (Table 4)
demonstrates a good agreement between the theoretical and experimental values of K Veff;q .
In order to make the use of RV-MTS criterion more convenient, each fracture curve can be fitted by a cubic polynomial
function. The following function was used for the normalized fracture toughness curve:
 ¼ a þ bx þ cx2 þ dx3
y ð22Þ
in which
q q
K V;
I K V;
II
x ¼ q ; ¼
y q ð23Þ
K V;
Ic K V;
Ic

Similarly, a function was fitted to each fracture initiation angle curve as

y ¼ a0 þ b0 x þ c0 x2 þ d0 x3 ð24Þ
where
x ¼ MeV ; y ¼ h0 ð25Þ
The coefficients of Eqs. (22) and (24) are presented in Tables 5 and 6 for the fracture curves and the fracture initiation angle,
respectively. Using these functions, one can predict the onset of fracture in rounded-tip V-notched components made of
PMMA without any requirement to plot the curves.
 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 77 (2010) 3087–3104 3101

Table 4
q
The theoretical and experimental values of K V;
eff for the PMMA specimens with various notch opening angles and different notch tip radii.

2a = 30° 2a = 60° 2a = 90°

q=1 q=2 q=4 q=1 q=2 q=4 q=1 q=2 q=4
(mm) (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm)
V;q Mode I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
K eff [RV-MTS value]
1.09 1.13 1.21 1.02 1.10 1.19 0.94 0.97 1
1.32 1.40 1.40 1.14 1.26 1.54 0.93 0.96 1.02
1.62 1.79 1.94 1.30 1.61 1.97 0.87 0.99 1.15
2.0 2.20 2.58 1.82 2.27 2.95 0.89 1.07 1.33
Mode 2.39 2.74 3.23 2.26 2.81 3.59 1.28 1.72 2.33
II
V;q Mode I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
K eff [mean experimental
1.17 1.20 1.25 1.05 1.18 1.27 0.90 0.91 1.01
value]
1.38 1.48 1.34 1.19 1.24 1.44 0.94 0.97 1.07
1.70 1.71 2.14 1.43 1.79 2.11 0.91 1.12 1.35
2.08 2.31 2.71 1.77 2.10 3.11 1.03 1.21 1.44
Mode 2.18 2.54 2.85 1.93 2.49 3.13 1.17 1.48 2.07
II
Average discrepancy (%) 5.8 5.7 6.9 7.2 7.8 7.9 6.5 9.5 8.2
Total AVG. 7.3%

Table 5
The coefficients of the correlation functions of fracture curves for different notch geometry parameters.

2a = 30° 2a = 60° 2a = 90°

q = 1 (mm) q = 2 (mm) q = 4 (mm) q = 1 (mm) q = 2 (mm) q = 4 (mm) q = 1 (mm) q = 2 (mm) q = 4 (mm)
a 5.19 5.66 6.24 12.61 13.67 15.11 23.97 25.32 26.87
b 6.42 7.16 7.90 15.45 16.90 18.93 29.45 31.52 33.47
c 6.58 7.20 7.67 15.47 16.78 17.93 28.64 30.81 32.49
d 5.13 5.47 5.78 12.11 13.00 13.57 22.22 23.63 24.87

Table 6
The coefficients of the correlation function of fracture initiation angle curves for different notch geometry parameters.

2a = 30° 2a = 60° 2a = 90°

q = 1 (mm) q = 2 (mm) q = 4 (mm q = 1 (mm) q = 2 (mm) q = 4 (mm q = 1 (mm) q = 2 (mm) q = 4 (mm)
a0 52.55 50.38 48.51 47.97 47.17 44.20 42.24 42.01 41.57
b0 39.31 38.77 38.73 35.75 35.38 34.38 31.64 31.54 31.23
c0 22.25 17.05 14.11 25.81 23.52 16.61 26.70 26.07 24.69
d0 35.78 28.92 24.16 38.23 35.51 26.66 37.43 36.68 35.18

In order to estimate if the notched component fractures under mixed mode loading, first the parameters   should be
x and y
computed for the notched component under the given load. Then, the computed  x is substituted into Eq. (22) and the cor-
responding y  is determined. If the value of y
 calculated for the notched component is equal to or more than that obtained
from Eq. (22), the component is expected to fracture. The fracture initiation angle can be estimated in a similar way from
Eq. (24) for a given value of M eV .
As mentioned earlier, the stress field used in this work is an approximate expression because it satisfies the boundary
conditions only in limited points on the notch edge and not on the whole edge [30]. Also, the stress field developed for a
rounded-tip V-notch in curvilinear coordinate system [30], is very similar to an ideal rounded-tip V-notch. Thus, the curva-
tures of these notches do not completely match each other. Under pure mode I loading conditions, fracture occurs from the
notch tip along the notch bisector line (i.e. h0 = 0) where the radii of curvatures are exactly equal. Therefore, the stress field is
accurate enough along this direction. However, when the mode II contribution is increased, the location of maximum tan-
gential stress moves along the notch edge away from the notch root, where radii of curvatures of a V-like notch and an ideal
rounded-tip V-notch diverge and hence the stress field [30] used in this paper becomes less accurate. It is therefore expected
that the theoretical predictions of the RV-MTS criterion to be more accurate for mode I dominated loading conditions in com-
parison with V-notches that are subjected to predominantly mode II loading. Fig. 8–10 also show that for pure mode II frac-
ture (i.e. the vertical axis) the RV-MTS always overestimated the fracture resistance of the V-notched PMMA specimens.
3102 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 77 (2010) 3087–3104

It is noteworthy that the RV-MTS criterion is based on two important assumptions: (i) The notch tip stresses can be
described by elastic solutions presented by Filippi et al. [30]. Thus, if a relatively large region of material nonlinearity
develops around the notch tip, the RV-MTS criterion becomes less accurate as the Filippi’s solution is not sufficiently accu-
rate for such conditions. (ii) The size of critical distance should be significantly smaller than the specimen characteristic
lengths like notch depth d/2 or the specimen ligament. The dimensions of all specimens used in our experiments were con-
siderably larger than the sizes of critical distance obtained for the tested notched PMMA specimens. However, the specimen
size/scale might also influence the accuracy of RV-MTS in predicting the fracture load for very large or very small notched
specimens. Therefore, size effects can be potentially a useful subject for further investigation on mixed mode brittle fracture
in V-notched components.
For investigating mixed mode brittle fracture in rounded-tip V-notches, only one criterion has been previously suggested
in literature [28] which is applicable only to small notch radii. It is also not able to predict brittle fracture in V-notches under
pure mode II loading. However, the RV-MTS criterion is able to predict brittle fracture in rounded-tip V-notched components
for the whole range of mixed mode loading from pure mode I to pure mode II. It should finally be noted that the application
of the RV-MTS criterion in practical cases is much easier than other criteria, because the mixed-mode fracture of notched
components can be simply predicted by using the RV-MTS fracture curves as shown in Fig. 8–10.

8. Conclusions

1. The conventional MTS criterion proposed earlier to investigate mixed mode brittle fracture in sharp-crack problems was
extended to rounded-tip V-notched domains to predict mixed-mode fracture toughness and fracture initiation angle
using a new criterion called the RV-MTS.
2. A new test specimen called the RV-BD specimen was used for an experimental investigation of mixed mode brittle frac-
ture in PMMA samples containing rounded-tip V-notches.
3. A good agreement was shown to exist between the theoretical predictions and the experimental results for both the
mixed-mode fracture toughness and the fracture initiation angle.
4. The use of the RV-MTS criterion in practical cases is more convenient than other criteria because it can be presented as a
set of fracture curves for direct prediction of mixed-mode fracture in V-notched components. Once the appropriate frac-
q
ture curve is available, only the relevant mode I notch fracture toughness K V;
Ic must be measured in order to estimate if
the notched component under a given mixed mode load fails by brittle fracture or not.
5. According to the RV-MTS criterion, for a fixed notch tip radius, the numerical value of mixed mode notch fracture tough-
ness is increased for components having a larger notch opening angle.

Appendix A

A.1

(a) Functions used in the stress field for rounded V-shaped notches (mode I and II) [30]:

8 9ðIÞ 28 9 3
< mhh >
> = 1
>
< ð1 þ k1 Þ cosð1  k1 Þh >
= 
cosð1 þ k Þh

6 1 7
mrr ¼ 4 ð3  k1 Þ cosð1  k1 Þh þ vb1 ð1  k1 Þ 5
>
: >
; ½1 þ k1 þ vb1 ð1  k1 Þ >
: >
;  cosð1 þ k1 Þhsinð1 þ k1 Þh
mrh ð1  k1 Þ sinð1  k1 Þh

8 9ðIÞ 2 8 9 3
< nhh >
> = >
< ð1 þ l1 Þ cosð1  l1 Þh >
=  
q 6 cosð1 þ l1 Þh 7
nrr ¼ 4v ð3  l1 Þ cosð1  l1 Þh þ vc1 5
>
: >
; 4ðq  1Þ½1 þ k1 þ vb1 ð1  k1 Þ d1 >
: >
;  cosð1 þ l1 Þhsinð1 þ l1 Þh
nrh ð1  l1 Þ sinð1  l1 Þh

8 9ðIIÞ 28 9 3
< mhh >
> = 1 < ð1 þ k2 Þ sinð1  k2 Þh >
> = 
sinð1 þ k Þh

6 2 7
mrr ¼ 4 ð3  k2 Þ sinð1  k2 Þh þ vb2 ð1 þ k2 Þ 5
>
: >
; ½1  k2 þ vb2 ð1 þ k2 Þ >
: >
;  sinð1 þ k2 Þhcosð1 þ k2 Þh
mrh ð1  k2 Þ cosð1  k2 Þh

8 9ðIIÞ 2 8 9 3
< nhh >
> = >
< ð1 þ l2 Þ sinð1  l2 Þh >
=  
1 6  sinð1 þ l2 Þhsinð1 þ l2 Þh 7
nrr ¼ 4v ð3  l2 Þ sinð1  l2 Þh þ vc2 5
>
: >
; 4ðl2  1Þ½1  k2 þ vb2 ð1 þ k2 Þ d2 >
: >
;  cosð1 þ l2 Þh
nrh ð1  l2 Þ cosð1  l2 Þh
 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 77 (2010) 3087–3104 3103

260
240 2α = 30 o, ρ = 4 (mm)
2α = 60 o, ρ = 4 (mm)
220 2α = 90 o, ρ = 4 (mm)
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0
Distance ahead of the notch (mm)

Fig. A1. The tangential stress (rhh) distribution for RV-BD specimens along the notch bisector for q = 4 mm, P = 10 kN and several notch opening angles.

(b) Table A1: The values of the parameters ki and li for different notch opening angles [30]:

2a (°) k1 k2 l1 l2
0 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5
30 0.5014 0.5982 0.4561 0.4465
45 0.5050 0.6597 0.4319 0.4118
60 0.5122 0.7309 0.4057 0.3731
90 0.5448 0.9085 0.3449 0.2882
120 0.6157 1.1489 0.2678 0.1980
135 0.6736 1.3021 0.2198 0.1514
150 0.7520 1.4858 0.1624 0.1034

(c) The expressions for parameters x1 and x2 [30]:

" #
q vd1 ð1 þ l1 Þ þ vc1
x1 ¼
4ðq  1Þ 1 þ k1 þ vb1 ð1  k1 Þ
" #
1 vd2 ð1  l2 Þ  vc2
x2 ¼ ¼ 1
4ðl2  1Þ 1  k2 þ vb2 ð1 þ k2 Þ

The values of the parameters vb1 ; vb2 ; vc1 ; vc2 ; vd1 ; vd2 are reported in Ref. [30] for various notch opening angles.

A.2

The results of the fracture tests (given in Table 2) indicated that for the RV-BD specimens loaded under pure mode I, the
V;q
fracture load decreases and the numerical value of notch fracture toughness (K Ic ) increases when the notch opening angle
becomes larger. This is mainly due to the variations of the tangential stress versus the notch angle ahead of the notch tip as
described below from the results of finite element analysis. For example, the tangential stress distribution for RV-BD spec-
imens along the notch bisector line are plotted in Fig. A1 for a notch radius q equal to 4 mm and notch opening angles equal
to 30°, 60° and 90°. These results are related to a typical load P of 10 kN.
Fig. A1 illustrates that for a constant load P, as the notch opening angle increases, the tangential stress ahead of the notch
tip is increased. Taking into account that all the specimens have the same material properties, it can be concluded from
experimental point of view that for larger notch opening angles, the tangential stress attains its critical value (rhh)c under
a lower applied load.

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