ISSN: 0090-3973
Page Count: 5

On the Application of the Indirect Compliance Measurement Technique to Flexure Specimens Containing a Chevron Notch

Sarrafi-Nour, GR
Research associate,University of Toronto,ON,

Coyle, TW
Associate professor,University of Toronto,ON,

(Received 1 March 1999; accepted 27 August 1999)

Abstract

Various fracture tests employing chevron-notched flexure specimens require accurate measurement of the specimen loading-point compliance at least through the achievement of the maximum load. Conventionally this compliance is determined by monitoring the center-point deflection on the specimen and then correcting the measured displacements for the compliance of the test setup, determined through separate calibration tests. A simple and accurate indirect determination of the compliance under flexure load condition, which is not affected by the compliance of the test setup used for fracture testing, was introduced previously. This method has been verified for flexure specimens containing throughthickness cracks. The present work deals with the application of the indirect compliance measurement method to chevron-notched flexure specimens. The original governing relation, previously verified for a specimen with a through-thickness crack, is modified based on finite element analysis results so as to be applicable to the chevronnotched specimens. After modification, this method is shown to lead also to accurate determination of the loading-point compliance in tests involving chevron-notched specimens.

Keywords:
chevron-notched specimen, compliance, load displacement, fracture test, toughness measurement, R-curve behavior

Paper ID: JTE12165J
DOI: 10.1520/JTE12165J
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