Engineering Fracture Mechanics 76 (2009) 1883–1896

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Engineering Fracture Mechanics

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

A criterion for brittle fracture in U-notched components under mixed mode

loading
M.R. Ayatollahi *, A.R. Torabi
Fatigue and Fracture Research Laboratory, 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 failure criterion is proposed for brittle fracture in U-notched components under mixed-
Received 1 July 2008 mode static loading. The criterion, called UMTS, is developed based on the maximum tan-
Received in revised form 13 April 2009 gential stress criterion and also a criterion proposed in the past for mode I failure of
Accepted 17 April 2009
rounded V-shaped notches [Gomez FJ, Elices M. A fracture criterion for blunted V-notched
Available online 3 May 2009
samples. Int J Fracture 2004;127:239–64]. Using the UMTS criterion, a set of fracture curves
are derived in terms of the notch stress intensity factors. These curves can be used to pre-
Keywords:
dict the mixed mode fracture toughness and the crack initiation angle at the notch tip. An
Brittle fracture
U-notch
expression is also obtained from this criterion for predicting fracture toughness of U-
Mixed mode loading notched components in pure mode II loading. It is shown that there is a good agreement
UMTS criterion between the results of UMTS criterion and the experimental data obtained by other authors
Notch stress intensity factor from three-point bend specimens.
Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

Several failure criteria have been proposed in the past for brittle fracture under monotonic mixed-mode I/II loading in
components containing a sharp crack. One of the most frequently used criteria is the maximum tangential stress (MTS) cri-
terion proposed initially by Erdogan and Sih [2]. According to this criterion, failure occurs when the tangential stress at a
critical distance from the crack tip reaches its critical value. Although mixed mode fracture has been studied for sharp cracks
in many papers, so far few criteria have been suggested for investigating brittle fracture in engineering components contain-
ing V or U-shaped notches. For mode I loading conditions and in the presence of sharp V-notches, several failure criteria have
been proposed by Novozhilov [3], Leguillon [4], Lazzarin and Zambardi [5], Gomez et al. [6,7], Leguillon [8], Gomez and Elices
[9], Yosibash et al. [10], Seweryn [11], Livieri [12] and Strandberg [13]. For sharp V-notched components, the number of
mixed-mode brittle fracture criteria proposed and validated via experimental observations are very few (see Dunn et al.
[14,15], Seweryn and Lukaszewicz [16], Yosibash et al. [17] and Priel et al. [18]). Several fracture criteria have also been sug-
gested for rounded V-notched domains under mode I loading conditions and validated by using experimental data (see Go-
mez and Elices [1], Leguillon and Yosibash [19], Gomez and Elices [20], Lazzarin and Filippi [21]).
Gomez et al. [22] published a paper dealing with various criteria that exist for investigation of fracture initiation at U-
notches under mode I loading. They suggested that the failure criteria can be recast into a simple expression for predicting
the fracture loads. Gomez et al. [23] later proposed a mixed mode failure criterion which can be used for calculating the frac-
ture loads in U-notched components. In this criterion, the average value of the strain energy density over a specified volume
is used to predict the failure initiation of U-notched specimens under mixed-mode I/II loading. The criterion was also
validated via the results of experiments performed on three-point bend PMMA specimens at 60 °C. The mixed mode failure
in U-notches have also been studied by other researchers (see Minor et al. [24]).

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +98 21 77240201; fax: +98 21 7724 0488.

E-mail address: m.ayat@iust.ac.ir (M.R. Ayatollahi).

0013-7944/$ - see front matter Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.engfracmech.2009.04.008
1884 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 76 (2009) 1883–1896

Nomenclature

E Young’s modulus
Keff. effective notch stress intensity factor
KIC fracture toughness
K Vq;I notch stress intensity factor-mode I
K Vq;II notch stress intensity factor-mode II
q
K V;
c critical notch stress intensity factor in pure mode I
rc critical distance
2a notch opening angle
ki eigenvalues (singularity exponents)
li eigenvalues (real parameters)
m Poisson’s ratio
q notch root radius
rrr radial stress
ru ultimate tensile strength
rrh in-plane shear stress
rhh tangential stress
(rhh)c critical value of rhh
h0 crack initiation angle
h* crack initiation angle for pure mode II

In the present paper, a brittle fracture criterion, called UMTS, is developed based on the maximum tangential stress (MTS)
criterion and also a criterion proposed for mode I failure of rounded V-shaped notches [1]. The results of the UMTS criterion
are compared with those of the local strain energy density (SED) criterion [23] and also the experimental results reported by
Gomez et al. [23]. It is shown that there is a good agreement between the results of UMTS criterion and the experimental data.
Using the UMTS criterion, a set of fracture curves are derived in terms of the notch stress intensity factors (NSIFs). These
curves can be used for more convenient predictions of the mixed mode fracture toughness and the crack initiation angle at
the notch tip. An expression is also obtained from this criterion for predicting the fracture toughness of U-notched compo-
nents in pure mode II loading.

2. Stress field for rounded V-shaped notches

The stress field for sharp V-shaped notches was first presented by Williams [25] as an exact solution. For rounded V-
notches (see Fig. 1), an expression was developed by Filippi et al. [26]. This expression is an approximate solution because
it satisfies the boundary conditions only in a finite number of points along the notch edge and not on the whole edge. Filippi
et al. [26] obtained the stress field 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 coefficient ranging from 1 (for flat
edge) to 2 (for crack).
The mode I stresses can be written as:
8 9ðIÞ 28 9ðIÞ 8 9ðIÞ 3
< rhh >
> = V
K q;I
>
< mhh ðhÞ >
=  l1 k1 >
r < nhh ðhÞ >
=
6 7
rrr ¼ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi 4 mrr ðhÞ þ nrr ðhÞ 5 ð1Þ
>
: > 2pr 1 > 1k > r0 > >
rrh ; :
mrh ðhÞ
; :
nrh ðhÞ
;

In this expression, K Vq;I is the mode I notch stress intensity factor (NSIF) and r0 is the distance between the origin of the polar
coordinate system and the notch tip. The functions mij(h) and nij(h) are reported in Appendix. The eigenvalues k1 and l1
which depend on the notch opening angle are reported in Ref. [26].
Similarly, the mode II stresses are:
8 9ðIIÞ 28 9ðIIÞ 8 9ðIIÞ 3
< rhh >
> = > mhh ðhÞ >
K Vq;II 6< = r < nhh ðhÞ >
 l2 kðIIÞ > =
2
7
rrr ¼ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi 4 mrr ðhÞ þ nrr ðhÞ 5 ð2Þ
>
: > 2pr 1k2 > > r0 > >
rrh ; :
mrh ðhÞ
; :
nrh ðhÞ
;

Here, K Vq;II is the mode II notch stress intensity factor. The eigenvalues k2 and l2 are detailed in the Ref. [26].
The following expression is valid according to relation between Cartesian and curvilinear coordinate systems [26]:
q1 2p  2a
r0 ¼ q; q¼ ð3Þ
q p
where 2a is the notch opening angle and q is the notch tip radius.
 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 76 (2009) 1883–1896 1885

Fig. 1. Rounded V-notch and its polar coordinate system. The origin is located at the distance r0 from the notch tip on the notch bisector.

The expressions for notch stress intensity factors (NSIFs) are [21]:

pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi ðrhh Þ r 1k1

K Vq;I ¼ 2p h¼0
 l1 k1 ð4Þ
1 þ x1 rr0
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi ðrrh Þ r1k2
K Vq;II ¼ 2p h¼0
 l2 k2 ð5Þ
1 þ x2 rr0

where rhh and rrh are the tangential and the in-plane shear stresses, respectively. The auxiliary parameters x1 and x2 are
given in Appendix.
When the notch opening angle is zero, then q = 2 and the rounded V-notch becomes a U-notch and one can write from Eq.
(3) that:
q
r0 ¼ ð6Þ
2
By substituting Eq. (6) into Eqs. (1) and (2), an expression for the tangential stress in U-notches can be derived as:
     

1 3 q h 1 3h 3 q h 3 3h
rhh ¼ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi K Vq;I þ cos þ cos þ K Vq;II  sin þ sin ð7Þ
2 2p r 2 r 2 2 2 2 r 2 2 2

3. Brittle fracture criterion for U-shaped notches

The maximum tangential stress (MTS) criterion is a well known and commonly used criterion for investigating brittle fail-
ure in specimens containing a sharp crack and loaded under mixed-mode conditions. According to this criterion, fracture
occurs when the tangential stress at a critical distance rc ahead of crack attains its critical value (rhh)c. Recent studies on dif-
ferent engineering materials suggest that when the crack is sharp (q = 0), the parameters rc and (rhh)c are material param-
eters and independent of mode mixity (see for example [27–31]).
In this paper, the application of the MTS criterion is extended to U-notched domains and a criterion called UMTS is devel-
oped. Considering the UMTS criterion under mixed-mode I/II loading, one can use the following equation in order to obtain
the fracture initiation angle:

@ rhh
¼ 0 ) h ¼ h0 ð8Þ
@h
Substituting Eq. (7) into Eq. (8) gives:
      

3 q h0 3 3h0 3 q h0 9 3h0
K Vq;I  þ sin  sin þ K Vq;II  cos þ cos ¼0 ð9Þ
4 2r c 2 4 2 4 2r c 2 4 2
1886 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 76 (2009) 1883–1896

Note that the parameter r must be substituted with rc according to the requirements of the MTS criterion. In pure mode I, K Vq;II
vanishes and Eq. (9) is rewritten as:
 
3 q h0 3 3h0
þ sin þ sin ¼0 ð10Þ
4 2r c 2 4 2
The solution of Eq. (10) gives h0 = 0 i.e. fracture initiates along the notch bisector line and the fracture initiation angle at the
notch tip (h0) is zero due to the symmetry of geometry and loading. In pure mode II loading where the notch edges slide
parallel to the bisector line, the K Vq;I is zero. Therefore, Eq. (9) is simplified to the following expression:
 
3 q h0 9 3h0
 cos þ cos ¼ 0 ) h0 ¼ h ð11Þ
4 2r c 2 4 2
Eq. (11) indicates that mode II failure initiates along the angle h* which depends on the critical distance rc and the notch tip
radius q. Considering the MTS criterion, failure at the crack or notch tip occurs when the tangential stress necessarily reaches
the critical value (rhh)c.
Therefore:
     

1 3 q h0 1 3h0 3 q h0 3 3h0
ðrhh Þc ¼ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi K Vq;I þ cos þ cos þ K Vq;II  sin þ sin ð12Þ
2 2pr c 2 rc 2 2 2 2 rc 2 2 2
Eq. (12) can be used to predict brittle fracture in U-shaped notches under mixed-mode I/II loading. For a more concise pre-
sentation of Eqs. (9)–(12), the following symbols are defined here:
q
A¼2þ
rc
3 q
B¼ þ ð13Þ
2 rc
3 q
C¼ 
2 rc
Failure criteria reported in the literature for the rounded V-notches suggest that in pure mode I loading, brittle fracture oc-
curs when the NSIF reaches a critical value K Vc ;q called fracture toughness of rounded V-notch (see Ref. [1]). The value of K V;
c
q

depends on material properties and is determined experimentally. Considering that mode I fracture in U-notches occurs
when:
h0 ¼ 0
q
K Vq;I ¼ K V;
c ð14aÞ
V
K q;II ¼ 0

Eq. (12) can be rewritten for pure mode I as:

   q
1 q V;q AK V;
c
ðrhh Þc ¼ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi 2þ Kc ¼ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi ð14bÞ
2 2pr c rc 2 2pr c
Substituting Eq. (14b) into Eq. (12) and using Eq. (13), mixed-mode brittle fracture for U-notches can be written in terms of
q
K V;
c as:
   
h0 1 3h0 h0 3 3h0 q
K Vq;I B cos þ cos þ K Vq;II C sin þ sin ¼ AK V;
c ð15Þ
2 2 2 2 2 2
It must be taken into account that, the parameter K Vc ;q depends not only on the material properties but also on the notch tip
q
radius. Thus, it is not a material constant. The value K V;
c can be obtained from the following expressions [1]:

q P max
K V;
c ¼ K Vq;I ðP1 Þ ð16Þ
P1
V 1 pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi q 
K q;I ðP1 Þ ¼ pqrhh ; 0 ð17Þ
2 2
where Pmax is the failure load that is determined experimentally using conventional notched test specimens. Note that,
K Vq;I ðP1 Þ is the notch stress intensity factor for an arbitrary load P1. Using Eq. (13), one may simplify Eq. (9) and obtain the
crack initiation angle h0 from:
   
B h0 3 3h0 C h0 9 3h0
K Vq;I  sin  sin þ K Vq;II cos þ cos ¼0 ð18Þ
2 2 4 2 2 2 4 2

If rc is known for a U-notched specimen, one can draw the variations of K Vq;I versus K Vq;II using Eqs. (15) and (18), and obtain
the mixed mode fracture curves for U-shaped notches.
 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 76 (2009) 1883–1896 1887

Fig. 2. A sample fracture curve for zero notch tip radius.

The critical distance rc for U-notches which is measured from the origin of polar coordinate system (not from the notch
tip) can be calculated by squaring both sides of Eq. (14b):
  
1 q V;q 2
ðrhh Þ2c ¼ 2þ Kc ð19Þ
8pr c rc
For known values of K Vc ;q and (rhh)c, the values of rc are obtained from:
" #2
q
K V;
ð4r 2c 2
þ q þ 4qrc Þ c
 8pr 3c ¼ 0 ð20Þ
ðrhh Þc
q
According to Eq. (20), rc depends on q and K V;
c . Therefore, rc for U-notches is a geometry dependent parameter and is not a
fixed material property. In general, Eq. (20) has three roots: two complex roots and one real root. Since rc is a real parameter,
only the real one is acceptable. A sample fracture curve for zero notch tip radius is shown in Fig. 2.

4. Validation of the criterion via experimental results

To evaluate the suitability of the UMTS criterion, its theoretical results were compared with the experimental data re-
ported by Gomez et al. [23]. A brief description of experiments [23] are presented here. The material used for experiments
was the glassy polymer polymethyl-metacrylate (PMMA). As a relatively homogeneous and isotropic material, PMMA is suit-
able for brittle fracture studies. The experiments were performed at 60 °C for which the behavior of this material is almost
linear elastic. The material properties of the tested PMMA are [23]:
1
K IC ¼ 1:7  0:1 MPa m2
E ¼ 5:05  0:04 GPa
m ¼ 0:40  0:01
ru ¼ 128:4  0:1 MPa
The U-notched three-point-bending specimens were used for the experimental program. The geometry and loading condi-
tions are shown in Fig. 3. In all the specimens the notch depth was fixed (a = 14 mm) as were the thickness and the height (14
and 18 mm, respectively). In order to have different mixed-mode conditions, the location of the applied load P was changed
in various tests, resulting in four different values of the eccentricity (b = 9, 18, 27, 36 mm). To study the effect of the notch tip
radius q, six values of the root radius were chosen: q = 0, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 1, 2 mm. Three tests for each geometry condition and a
total of 72 static tests were performed in general [23].
q
As mentioned earlier, for calculating the value of rc, it is necessary to determine the parameters K V; c and (rhh)c. Gomez and
Elices [1] obtained K Vc ;q in the rounded V-notched PMMA samples at 60 °C for different notch opening angles and notch tip
q
radii. The values of K V;
c for U-notches are presented in Table 2 for various notch radii [1]. The critical parameter (rhh)c is often
considered to be a material property and is commonly considered to be the ultimate tensile strength (ru) for brittle and qua-
si-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 defected (cracked or notched)
and defect-free samples. The only difference between a notched or cracked specimen and a flawless one is that, for the
1888 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 76 (2009) 1883–1896

Fig. 3. Geometry and loading condition (dimensions are in mm).

Table 1
The values of rc for PMMA at 60 °C corresponding to various notch tip radii.

q (mm) 0 0.2 0.3 0.5 1 2

rc (mm) 0.0279 0.17052 0.2340 0.3114 0.5781 1.0318

Table 2
q
The values of K V;
c for PMMA at 60 °C corresponding to various notch radii [1].

q (mm) 0 0.2 0.3 0.5 1 2

q pffiffiffiffiffi
K V;
c ðMPa mÞ 1.7 2.6 3.1 3.25 4.2 5.3

Fig. 4. Mixed-mode (I/II) fracture curves of the U-notched PMMA at 60 °C for various notch tip radii.

defected 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. Therefore, it can be suggested that, the fracture in U-notched specimens occurs when the tangential
stress rhh reaches (rhh)c or ru.
 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 76 (2009) 1883–1896 1889

The values of rc calculated from Eq. (20) for PMMA at 60 °C and for various notch tip radii (q) are presented in Table. 1.
Mixed mode fracture in the U-notched components can be studied using a series of fracture curves that depend on q and rc.
The curves are similar to the fracture curve of the classical MTS criterion which has been used frequently for analyzing the
cracked components. For obtaining these curves, we define a parameter called the mode mixity (Me) as:
!
2 K Vq;I
Me ¼ tan1 ð21Þ
p K Vq;II
KV
The value of Me varies from zero (for pure mode II) to one (for pure mode I). Now, by extracting K Vq;I from Eq. (18) and replac-
q;II
ing it in Eq. (21), one can write:

2 C
cos h20 þ 94 cos 3h20
Me ¼ tan1 2
ð22Þ
p B
2
sin h20 þ 34 sin 3h20

Fig. 5. Curves for absolute values of fracture initiation angle h0 in the U-notched PMMA specimens at 60 °C for various notch tip radii.

Fig. 6a. Mixed mode fracture curve and experimental data for notch tip radius q = 0 mm.
1890 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 76 (2009) 1883–1896

To achieve the fracture curve for given values of notch radius q and critical distance rc, one can follow the steps below:

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

2. Substitute Me into Eq. (22).
3. Solve Eq. (22) and determine h0.
4. Substitute h0 into Eq. (15).
5. Solve a linear system of equations consisting of Eqs. (15) and (21) and find the normalized NSIFs: K Vq;I =K Vc ;q and K Vq;II =K V;
c .
q
e
6. Repeat steps 1–5 for other values of M .
7. Draw the fracture curve using the series of points calculated in step 5.

Fig. 4 shows the mixed-mode (I/II) fracture curves of the U-notched PMMA components for different notch tip radii.
According to UMTS criterion, the value of rc is material dependent. Thus, the curves are plotted exclusively for PMMA at
60 °C. Using this approach, one can plot similar curves for other materials. Note that the fracture curves are displayed
q
in non-dimensional form by dividing the NSIFs by K V; c , as given in [1]. To use these curves in practical cases, first the notch
stress intensity factors should be calculated for the notched components under the applied load. These factors are then nor-
q
malized as K Vq;I =K V;
c and K Vq;II =K Vc ;q , and the corresponding point is determined in Fig. 4. It is useful to mention that for each
notch radius, K Vq;I is divided by its own particular K Vc ;q and not by an independent and constant value of K Vc ;q . Therefore, in

Fig. 6b. Mixed mode fracture curve and experimental data for notch tip radius q = 0.2 mm.

Fig. 6c. Mixed mode fracture curve and experimental data for notch tip radius q = 0.3 mm.
 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 76 (2009) 1883–1896 1891

q
pure mode I fracture the parameter K Vq;I =K V;
c is equal to 1 for each value of notch radius. The points located on the fracture
curve show the conditions related to the onset of brittle fracture (i.e. crack initiation from the notch tip) for various loading
mode mixity. If the point situates under the related fracture curve, the fracture will not occur. But, if it locates over the curve,
the fracture is expected to occur. In the case q = 0, when the U-notch becomes a crack, the fracture curve turns into the curve
obtained previously by Erdogan and Sih [2] using the classical MTS criterion.
In addition to fracture load, the other important parameter in the fracture analysis of the U-notches is the fracture initi-
ation angle h0 at the notch tip. In order to plot the curves of fracture initiation angle for a given notch radius q, the following
steps can be done:

1. Choose an arbitrary value for Me between 0 and 1.

2. Substitute Me into Eq. (22).
3. Solve Eq. (22) and find the fracture initiation angle h0.
4. Repeat steps 1–4 for other values of Me.
5. Draw the parameter h0 versus Me.

Fig. 5 shows the variation of the crack initiation angle (h0) versus the mode mixity (Me) for the U-notched PMMA spec-
imens at 60 °C for various notch tip radii. The sign of the fracture initiation angles is negative, but the absolute values are

Fig. 6d. Mixed mode fracture curve and experimental data for notch tip radius q = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 6e. Mixed mode fracture curve and experimental data for notch tip radius q = 1 mm.
1892 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 76 (2009) 1883–1896

Fig. 6f. Mixed mode fracture curve and experimental data for notch tip radius q = 2 mm.

Fig. 7a. Fracture initiation angle for q = 0 mm, UMTS prediction compared with experimental results.

shown in Fig. 5. Here, the experimental results reported by Gomez et al. [23] for fracture initiation in U-notched PMMA spec-
imens are used to validate the theoretical results predicted by the UMTS criterion. Fig. 6a–f shows that the UMTS fracture
curves together with the experimental results reported in [23] for notch tip radius q = 0,0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 1 and 2 mm, respec-
tively. Similar results are shown in Fig. 7a–f, but for the fracture initiation angle h0. It is seen from Figs. 6 and 7 that despite
a natural scatter in the experimental results, there is a good agreement between the theoretical findings predicted by the
UMTS criterion and experimental results obtained and reported by Gomez et al. [23]. The consistency is good for both the
onset of fracture as well as the fracture initiation angle.

5. Discussion

According to Fig. 4 the mixed mode fracture toughness of PMMA specimens increases when the notch tip radius is in-
creased. This is because the stress concentration at the notch tip decreases for larger notch radii requiring a larger load
for fracturing the notched specimen. The notch tip radius also affects the fracture initiation angle h0, although its effects
on h0 is not as much as on the fracture curves.
 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 76 (2009) 1883–1896 1893

Fig. 5 shows that in pure mode I loading condition (Me = 1), the fracture initiation angle is equal to zero for all the notches
with different tip radii. In mixed mode and pure mode II loading conditions, the fracture initiation angle is decreased as the
notch radius is increased. It is shown in this figure that for q = 0 (sharp crack) the fracture initiation angle is equal to 70.51
(°) which is in agreement with predictions of the conventional MTS criterion [2].
It is noteworthy that Gomez et al. [23] also attempted to predict their experimental results by using a local strain energy
density (SED) criterion. Here a comparison is made between the theoretical results that are obtained from the UMTS and SED
criteria for PMMA experiments. For this purpose, a parameter called the effective notch stress intensity factor Keff is defined
as:
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
K eff ¼ ðK Vq;I Þ2 þ ðK Vq;II Þ2 ð23Þ

Keff takes into account the effects of both mode I and mode II components of notch deformation and can be used as an alter-
native option for representation of the theoretical and experimental results in mixed mode fracture. The comparison of per-
centage errors for UMTS and SED criteria with respect to the experimental data are presented in Table 3 for various notch
radii. It is seen from Table 3 that in almost all cases the results of the UMTS criterion are in better agreement with the exper-
imental data compared to the results of the SED criterion.

Fig. 7b. Fracture initiation angle for q = 0.2 mm, UMTS prediction compared with experimental results.

Fig. 7c. Fracture initiation angle for q = 0.3 mm, UMTS prediction compared with experimental results.
1894 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 76 (2009) 1883–1896

As mentioned earlier, the aim of this paper is to propose a failure criterion for brittle U-notched components under
mixed-mode I/II loading and also to investigate the applicability of the conventional MTS criterion in U-notched domains.
It was shown that the UMTS criterion can be used for predicting the fracture initiation angle as well as the onset of brittle
fracture in U-notched specimens. A set of fracture curves were also presented by which the fracture load could be predicted
conveniently. In addition to its simplicity over the SED criterion, the UMTS criterion could provide more accurate predictions
of experimental results at least for the three-point bend experiments reported in [23].
One of the advantages of the UMTS criterion is its ability to estimate the pure mode II fracture toughness of the U-shaped
notches. In pure mode II loading, K Vq;I is zero and h0 = h* can be calculated from Eq. (11). Therefore, Eq. (15) can be rewritten
as:
q
AK V;
K Vq;II ¼  
c
 ð24Þ
C sin h2þ 2 sin 3h2
3

where K Vq;II is the mode II fracture toughness of the U-shaped notches. Thus, one can use Eq. (23) for predicting the mode II
fracture toughness in U-notched components.
It is useful to remind that previous studies show that under certain geometry and loading conditions the size and scale of
bodies that contain a sharp crack can influence their fracture toughness. Since the UMTS criterion for U-notched components

Fig. 7d. Fracture initiation angle for q = 0.5 mm, UMTS prediction compared with experimental results.

Fig. 7e. Fracture initiation angle for q = 1 mm, UMTS prediction compared with experimental results.
 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 76 (2009) 1883–1896 1895

Fig. 7f. Fracture initiation angle for q = 2 mm, UMTS prediction compared with experimental results.

Table 3
Percentage discrepancies between the theoretical criteria (UMTS and SED) and the experimental data for various notch radii.

q = 0 (mm) q = 0.2 (mm) q = 0.3 (mm) q = 0.5 (mm) q = 1 (mm) q = 2 (mm)

Keff h0 Keff h0 Keff h0 Keff h0 Keff h0 Keff h0
Discrepancy (%) for UMTS 2.2 2 6 5 0.8 9 6.8 10 3 0 17 0
2.1 2 7 7 10.5 10 1 5 5 5 4 8
5.2 10 2.5 1 7 8 2 0 0.3 4 4 13
2.9 0 7.5 10 5.5 9 5.8 6 7 8 3.5 15
Discrepancy (%) for SED 0.8 5 8 12 17 12 12 10 8 5 9 5
5.5 7 7.8 9 18 15 10.2 6 16 6 6 4
6.8 12 5.2 7 17 5 9 2 10 8 0.2 11
4.2 2 2 15 20 17 5.6 8 9 7 4.1 10

is an extension of the conventional MTS criterion for sharp crack problems, it is underlined that all the analyses and results
presented in this paper are confined to those notched components in which the size effect is negligible and also the critical
distance is almost independent of the geometry.
Finally, it must be pointed out that the three-point bend specimen (TPB) is not an ideal specimen for investigating
mixed mode fracture in the full range of mode mixity. This is because the TPB specimen is not able to provide pure mode
II or mode II dominant loading conditions. Thus, in order to study the effects of geometry and size on the fracture behavior
of U-notched components, it is very useful to evaluate the theoretical results of UMTS criterion using other notched spec-
imens under mixed mode loading. For example, brittle fracture analysis can be of particular interest for quasi-brittle mate-
rials like concrete or coarse-grain rocks which often possess a larger critical distance in comparison with most of the
brittle materials.

6. Conclusions

(1) The classical MTS criterion for cracked specimens was extended to notched domains for predicting mixed-mode (I/II)
fracture of U-shaped notches.
(2) Using the UMTS criterion, a series of fracture curves were developed in terms of notch stress intensity factors (NSIFs)
and for various notch tip radii. These curves make the fracture predictions in U-notched component convenient.
(3) The theoretical predictions of the UMTS criterion were compared with the results of U-notch experiments conducted
on PMMA at 60 °C. A good agreement was shown to exist between the theoretical and experimental results.
(4) Compared with the experimental results, the accuracy of the UMTS criterion in predicting Keff was generally more than
the SED criterion for different values of the notch radii.
1896 M.R. Ayatollahi, A.R. Torabi / Engineering Fracture Mechanics 76 (2009) 1883–1896

Appendix

(1) Functions used in the stress field for rounded V-shaped notches (mode I and II) [26]:
8 9ðIÞ 28 9 8 93
< mhh >
> = 1 < ð1 þ k1 Þ cosð1  k1 Þh >
> = < cosð1 þ k1 Þh >
> =
mrr ¼h i 4 ð3  k1 Þ cosð1  k1 Þh þ vb ð1  k1 Þ  cosð1 þ k1 Þh 7
6
5
>
: >
; 1 þ k1 þ vb1 ð1  k1 Þ > : >
;
1 >
: >
;
mrh ð1  k1 Þ sinð1  k1 Þh sinð1 þ k1 Þh
8 9ðIÞ 2 8 9 8 93
< nhh >
> = q < ð1 þ l1 Þ cosð1  l1 Þh >
> = < cosð1 þ l1 Þh >
> =
nrr ¼ h i64vd1 ð3  l1 Þ cosð1  l1 Þh þ vc1  cosð1 þ l1 Þh 5
7
>
: >
; 4ðq  1Þ 1 þ k þ v ð1  k Þ >
: >
; >
: >
;
nrh 1 b 1
1 ð1  l1 Þ sinð1  l1 Þh sinð1 þ l1 Þh
8 9ðIIÞ 28 9 8 93
< mhh >
> = 1 < ð1 þ k2 Þ sinð1  k2 Þh >
> = < sinð1 þ k2 Þh >
> =
mrr ¼h i64 ð3  k2 Þ sinð1  k2 Þh þ vb2 ð1 þ k2 Þ  sinð1 þ k2 Þh 5
7
>
: >
; 1  k þ v ð1 þ k Þ >
: >
; >
: >
;
mrh 2 2
b2 ð1  k2 Þ cosð1  k2 Þh cosð1 þ k2 Þh
8 9ðIIÞ 2 8 9 8 93
< nhh >
> = 1 < ð1 þ l2 Þ sinð1  l2 Þh >
> = <  sinð1 þ l2 Þh >
> =
nrr ¼ h i6
4vd2 ð3  l2 Þ sinð1  l2 Þh þ vc2 sinð1 þ l2 Þh
7
5
>
: >
; 4ð l  1Þ 1  k þ v ð1 þ k Þ >
: >
; >
: >
;
nrh 2 2 b2 2 ð1  l2 Þ cosð1  l2 Þh  cosð1 þ l2 Þh
(2) The expressions for parameters x1 and x2 [26]:
" #
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
4ðl2  1Þ 1  k2 þ vb2 ð1 þ k2 Þ

The values of the parameters k1, k2, l1, l2, vb1 ; vb2 ; vc1 ; vc2 ; vd1 ; vd2 are reported in Ref. [26] for various notch opening angles.

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